The Nina Ricci Pre-Fall 2018 collection was photographed by Estelle Hanania at the empty  AccorHotels Arena capturing the onstage-backstage duality of glamour and reality that these clothes express.

The collection featured cable-knit bib held together by a handful of strass straps, a pair of oversize pants, layered it over a blouse as styled in the lookbook. In the showroom, mannequins dressed in variations of violet and red—a high-sheen corduroy smoking with a lace chemise, for example—made the type of loud color statement typically destined for a photo op; yet the collection actually yielded a fair amount of powdery and putty hues, along with inky green and black, to seduce more subtly. The robe coat that Creative Director Guillaume Henry revisits in every collection was shown this time over a long slip dress with high vents revealing a lace underlayer. It bordered on femme fatale even while projecting just enough tastefulness to befit a museum fundraiser. For every extra-sheer ruched and pleated chiffon blouse or shirtdress, there were flattering full-coverage pants and tailoring in patchwork tweeds that veered more retro in volume. And whereas he imagined the quilted caban with contrast stitching as a cozy layer.

Interestingly, despite all the individual déshabillé pieces, they were shown discreetly or as finishing touches. The glossy red cowboy heels, vinyl detailing, pink faux Mongolian fur, and strass embellishments that Henry wanted the collection to exude a sense of tenderness. But it was in the floaty, feminine shapes and also in the season’s print motif.