Another season of Haute Couture Week has wrapped up in Paris.

Couture is an opportunity for a select few fashion houses to show off their craftsmanship and push the boundaries of style.

In the fast-paced annual fashion calendar, it takes a lot for something to stand out – but this season’s couture offerings proved particularly memorable. Here’s what you might have missed…

1. Maison Margiela took everyone’s breath away

Haute Couture Week might be over, but everyone is still talking about the Maison Margiela show. In what will undoubtedly go down in fashion history, designer John Galliano’s presentation was a masterclass in theatricality and creativity.

Maison Margiela described the show as ‘a walk through the underbelly of Paris’. Deconstructed trench coats were side-by-side with gauzy chiffon dresses and extreme corsetry. The overall vibe was dark, edgy and otherworldly – with Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie closing the show in a sheer rubber gown with a blue corset and bustle skirt.

The beauty looks were just as interesting. Make-up artist Pat McGrath described the look as “glazed elegance meets doll divinity”, with shiny skin giving an eerie, mask-like effect, paired with thin eyebrows, bright eyeshadow and coloured lips.

2. Simone Rocha took centre stage

For the past few seasons, Jean Paul Gaultier has enlisted a guest designer to take the helm of his couture show – and this time round, it was the turn of Irish creative Simone Rocha.

She injected her signature style into the clothes – with plenty of bows, ribbons and floral motifs – while paying homage to some classic Gaultier elements, such as Breton stripes and serpent iconography. The result was a surprisingly cohesive collection, mixing masculine and feminine in a playful way – with some seriously major gowns we would love to see celebs wear on the red carpet this awards season.

3. Valentino channelled joy

Valentino’s luxury at Couture Week certainly wasn’t quiet. Instead, the brand’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, continued to play around with bright colours – from vibrant oranges to highlighter yellows – transformed into impeccable tailoring. Florence Pugh and Jennifer Lopez sat on the front row to watch perfectly tailored boxy blazers paired with voluminous skirts – with the odd note of drama, such as see-through lace dresses and feather accents.

It was one of the more wearable collections we saw at Couture Week, while also one of the most timeless.

4. Surrealism at Robert Wun

This was London-based label Robert Wun’s second couture show, but it looked like the brand has been at it for years. Wun took inspiration from his love of horror to make an elegant yet experimental collection, with elements of surrealism infused throughout.

From blood spatter motifs to a Matrix-inspired black trench coat covered in shards of glass, it was a bold collection – and a distinctly memorable one, thanks to uncanny elements like one model walking down the catwalk in a blood red gown with a red figure attached to her back, looking like it was sewing up her dress.

5. Zendaya hit the front row

Couture Week always has a strong celeb showing, with style star Zendaya showing off her bold new hair at two shows: Schiaparelli and Fendi.

Her new look involved a futuristic micro-fringe and slicked-back locks – for the Fendi show, she paired it with a plum-coloured gown halter dress that had long sleeves, bare shoulders and a flared skirt.

6. Alaia stripped things back

The Alaia show was all about understated elegance, but that doesn’t mean it was dull. The brand’s creative director, Pieter Mulier, said he created the entire collection from just one material: merino wool.

The materials might have been simple, but the construction was anything but. A highlight of the collection were the black and white dresses with bodices made from a single strip, spiralling round models’ torsoes – the type of outfit we’re sure stylists are bookmarking for the upcoming Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

7. It was a family affair for the Kardashian-Jenners

Kylie Jenner showed off a more sophisticated side to her style while sitting front row at various couture shows – wearing an ethereal white corseted dress to Jean Paul Gaultier and a black strapless gown with a matching feathered cape to Valentino, alongside her daughter Stormi who wore a matching ensemble.

The blockbuster Maison Margiela show was a family affair for the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Kim Kardashian sat front row wearing a skintight black gown with honeycomb-style cut-outs and a major high-neck choker necklace, Kylie Jenner wore a sheer silver sequinned ensemble, while matriarch Kris Jenner kept things simple in a crisp white shirt paired with slouchy black trousers, an oversized coat and matching gloves.