Courrèges has announced that its artistic director Nicolas Di Felice is leaving his role at the helm of the house. “Over the course of five years, Nicolas Di Felice infused the brand with a new energy, bringing it back to the forefront of the fashion scene,” it wrote in a statement. “Under his direction, the house experienced a true renaissance, acclaimed by the critics, and established itself as a distinctive voice in the contemporary fashion landscape.”

With his focus on clubwear and skintight silhouettes, Di Felice’s time at the house was also marked by an extreme sexiness, so much so that other brands could barely keep up. So to celebrate that sensibility, we’re looking back at the seven sexiest moments over the last five years, from Bella Hadid coming back from the afters, to cruising in Paris’s biggest park. Scroll down for the entire list.

CRUISING WITH COURRÈGES

For his second-ever ready-to-wear show, Di Felice took guests to the “eastern lung” of Paris for SS22 – the city’s huge Bois de Vincennes park in the 12th arrondissement. Not only does the park have its own nudist section, it’s allegedly a gay cruising hot spot, but, most importantly, the location where Di Felice and his boyfriend shared their first kiss. At the show, models emerged from the woods in sexy clubwear fit for a day rave, before making a lap of the runway and skulking back into the shadows.

BELLA COMES BACK FROM THE AFTERS

What’s hotter than Bella Hadid coming back from the afters in a spangly crop top with last night’s heels dangling from her hands? That’s what happened at the SS23 show, when Di Felice imagined a cast of early morning ravers coming back from a beach party in unbuttoned slips, sheer dresses and slashed-open denim. There was even sand on the catwalk, too.

NAVEL GAZING

Not every sexy moment needs to be overtly sexual – it’s the subtly suggestive ones that often tickle your fancy the most. Take the navel cutouts of AW23, which appeared on long sleeve sheer tops and smart jumpsuits made from suit fabric – a peak-a-boo erogenous zone for the sultry Courrèges woman.

THE 3D PRINTED BRAS

Of all the plunging necklines, keyhole cutouts and leather harnesses at Di Felice’s SS24 show, the sexiest accessory of all was the 3D printed bra, in both reflective metal and clear perspex. The garments were a collaboration with buzzy jeweller Stephanie D’heygere, who’s previously worked as senior jewellery designer at Dior.

HOT POCKETS AND HEAVY BREATHING

When Courrèges’ AW24 show began, the sound of slow, heavy breathing rang through the space, and the runway literally came alive. A white membrane in the middle of the room began heaving up and down in time with each cacophonous breath, and if all that wasn’t enough, the majority of looks came with jetted pockets placed just above the crotch, where each model slid a single hand into the suggestive slit. Oo-er!

FEATHERED FRIENDS

For AW25, Di Felice went full feather fetish, taking large versions of the tickly plumage and using them as the basis for an evening top. Designed in collab with Maison Fevrier – the leading Parisian plumasserie – the black, white and taupe tops were actually made from entire ostrich feathers.

NAKED ILLUSIONS

Across his five-year tenure at Courrèges, Di Felice loved tricking us into thinking people were almost naked, when they actually were a little more covered up than we thought! What a guy! We saw this across a number of his collections, but none more than his final AW26 show, when models appeared in flesh-toned sheer tops, with pockets and strips of black fabric hiding their modesties.

To see all those looks and more, scroll through the gallery at the top of the page