Hedi Slimane fanned rumors around his exit from Saint Laurent at his Paris show, rousing critics and fans with an aesthetic departure from his usual slinky indie '90s grunge looks.

Leave it to Slimane to show couture at Paris's designated ready-to-wear week. Held in one of the brand's recently renovated atelier studios, models teetered down a grand staircase in no less than 42 couture looks strongly channeling '80s glam through single-shouldered mini dresses and belted waists. The collection took the era's strong shoulders to a new architectural extreme, paired with super-short hemlines-whether skin-tight or poufed-deep necklines and voluminous side bows. Still, Slimane managed to string along his signature ultra-skinny suits and shimmering minis before closing with a rouge heart-shaped fur coat.

Stella McCartney always delivers wearable and playful takes on the next trends. This season she nailed fall's It coat, along with a parade of equally exciting velvets, denims, pleats and solo statement earrings. Monday's showcase left admirers ready for volume, as seen on the ruffle-accented jersey sweatshirt dress, asymmetrical tunic sweater cascading over its matching knit skirt or the wide-leg tweed cargo pants. Pleats ruled the runway (along with quilted down), worked into culottes, skirts and nightgown-style silk maxi slips. McCartney played with long silhouetting and tiers, layering long and boxy duster coats over culottes and copper-hued puffer coats under even larger denim downs. Never one to use animal textiles, McCartney instead opted for a quirky-and chic-swan print that showed up on wide-leg felted pants and more pleated skirts.

Giambattista Valli has quickly become one of Hollywood's A-list outfitters, catering to dressers as diverse as Amal Clooney and Rihanna while making a name for himself with a range charming designs.

He's since veered away from styles like Riri's epic double-tiered bubblegum pink Grammy dress, but Valli still proves his eye for detail and eccentricity - without showing a single pair of pants. Cocktail dresses trotted out one after the other, their '60s shift silhouettes layered under ribbed peplum tanks for a new-school take on shape. Colorful guipure lace banded around waists and flowed over the necks and shoulders of wave-like ruffle tops and pleated skirts, while the same floral print appeared on matching boxy skirt suits and paneled fur vests. Swing hems, full-ruffle frocks and glitter-framed pastel furs made the handful of closing ruffled high-neck gypsy gowns seem almost Edwardian amongst the majority of mod minis.

The epitome of Parisian dressing, Hermès has long been a femme's go-to house for s ubtle designs that don't demand attention, but subtly extract it. For example, this fall Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski's crafted full-length knits that still exude sensuality, a feat so Parisienne it deserves a Legion of Honour medal. It was a type of sultry conservative dressing that relied on structure and silhouette to catch the eye. Modern cuts like square cap-sleeve tops and oversized boxy jackets mingled with wool and leather blocked pieces. Monochrome ensembles were broken up with palm prints and geometric metal stud patterns, while angular-cut silks paired patchwork style with tight knit turtleneck sweaters to close out the show.

-Emma Ranniger