Chanel Show Wrestles with Designer Void as Actor Lupita Nyong'o Talks Diversity in Fashion

Now, she imagines a little girl somewhere, watching her in a Chanel campaign, seeing someone who looks like her – someone who is elegant, celebrated, and valued.

"I would hope that there is a message for little girls," she continued. "My work as an actor and as an author, as a podcast maker, and now as a brand ambassador, is to change that by just occupying the space." It is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of representation; when someone finally occupies a space that was once empty, it changes the way people see themselves and the world around them.

The luxury sector has frequently been accused of tokenism and superficial diversity efforts – making short-term gestures without genuine long-term change. Nyong'o is determined to make her role count, embodying the idea that representation must come with influence and purpose.

Louis Vuitton Blends Opulence and Chaos in a Dazzling Collection

French fashion once again showcased its formidable strength at Nicolas Ghesquière's spring collection for Louis Vuitton, blending savoir-faire with cultural resonance. "French fashion is a formidable soft power, radiating a tradition of savoir-faire, an art de vivre – a cultural singularity," the house said, and the designer delivered a spectacle that seemed like yet another a grand culmination of the house's journey across time, space, and style.

A sheeny striped coat with a curved silhouette opened the show, its adornments and accessories teeming with a kind of futuristic couture–a theme Ghesquière has mastered over his tenure. The coat set the stage for a collection that often intentionally deceived and dazzled the eye, echoing Ghesquière's penchant for "colliding references" and reimagining the old as new. Giant petal-like fabrics encircled the necks of models, conjuring both South American flair and a nod to punk–the very hybrid aesthetic that makes Ghesquière's work so unmistakable.

The show leaned into religious undertones, featuring a priest-like robe with fluid proportions, accessorized with an almost comically oversized black chain adorned with a sort of crucifix.

Yet, despite the individual flair of many pieces, the sheer divergence of styles sometimes felt overwhelming. One particular black-and-white floral split dress seemed to confuse the eye, its busy patterns making it difficult for spectators to discern where the dress ended and the underdress began. This tendency to merge multiple aesthetic elements occasionally crossed into visual overload.

Miu Miu Examines Youth, Uses A-listers as Models

If anyone can redefine fashion by dipping into the nursery wardrobe, it's Miuccia Prada. This season, Miu Miu, Prada's irreverent and intellectual baby sister, examined early youth – and with it, the liberating simplicity and honesty it brings to thinking and dressing.

The brand is notorious for blurring the lines between sophistication and play, and it's no surprise that a baby's cotton chemisette took center stage and transformed, under Prada's artful manipulation, into something altogether more complex.

Opening with a crisp white cotton dress, this deceptively intricate collection borrowed directly from childhood is the fruit of a collaboration with Petit Bateau. Chemisette dresses, sweaters, and twisted shirts became subversive statements – folded, wrapped, and twisted in all the wrong ways to create something utterly fresh. The result? A glamour that Prada herself called "dishonest" – a term almost mischievously fitting for Miu Miu's rebellious ethos. It's the spirit of a girl who refuses to conform, wearing her tights over her dress, her sweaters in unconventional ways, just because she can.

The sense of playful contrast–an innocent wardrobe rendered provocative–captured one of Miu Miu's long-standing narratives: youth is a state of being under construction, where rules are fluid, and experimentation is freedom. It's a continuation of Prada's love for subversion and polarity, whether it's mixing raw imperfection with poise or twisting utilitarian comfort into a silhouette that exudes audacity.

Prada called in a remarkable cast, including Alexa Chung, Willem Dafoe, Cara Delevingne, and Hilary Swank – household names from every corner of the artistic universe, as comfortable in front of the camera as they were here, treading the Miu Miu boards.

Where Miuccia Prada excels is her ability to inject humor – a knowing wink – into serious fashion. And just as Prada herself once said, sometimes we must choose whether to be a child or a lady near death. This collection chose the former.