Yesterday morning (September 29), designers Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre returned to the Paris schedule after a two year absence. Since they’ve been gone, plus size representation on the runway has dropped from an already measly 0.8 per cent to just 0.3 per cent, according to the Vogue Business Size Inclusivity Report, a figure that no doubt dwindled due to their absence. And while the onus of inclusivity shouldn’t rest on the shoulders of one or two brands, the return of Ester Manas to the official schedule is still something that should be celebrated.

For its comeback, the brand offered a somewhat unexpected convergence of two references. This season was a collaboration with the Belgian lingerie brand Primadonna, but the collection was also called Somehow I Manage, the title of Michael Scott’s fictional memoir from the US TV series The Office. While there was humour in the title – surely a self-aware comment on their two year absence – Manas and Delepierre clearly took the collaboration seriously.

With access to Primadonna’s 161-year-old archive, the designers made sheer body stockings in pastel hues, their structured panels outlined with delicate lace, while underwear became outerwear and cheetah prints clashed with cool toned baby blues. Elsewhere, striped shirting and bouncy beaded skirts clashed with more technical jackets, while big boxy jackets arrived between flashes of revealing lace. “There is no reason why the sexy cannot mingle with what, we sometimes assume, does not belong to that category at all,” said the designers.

Scroll through our gallery above for backstage images from the show