Ann Demeulemeester Fall/Winter 2016 Paris

Sébastien Meunier came over all touchy-feely with his fall collection for Ann Demeulemeester, which he described as an ode to a modern-day Adonis. Textural effects abounded as the designer used materials including mohair, fil coupé and an alpaca-silk blend to create deep-pile effects on glossy coats, jackets and pants.

“I really wanted to use all the expressions of hair in this collection,” he explained backstage. “It’s really about the beauty and all the elements that make a beautiful body or beautiful aspect, or a beautiful, also, soul.”

But you know what they say: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While some of Meunier’s experiments — such as vests sprouting long strands of hair over the chest — were true to Demeulemeester’s Goth-tinged aesthetic, this Seventies homage did not make it clear where Meunier intends to lead the brand.