PARIS—The fashion world was on edge as haute couture week kicked off on Monday in Paris, which has seen nights of violent riots over the police killing of a teenager.

French label Celine canceled its menswear show—scheduled outside the official calendar—on Sunday due to the riots, with designer Hedi Slimane saying it was “inconsiderate” to hold a fashion show when Paris was “bereaved and bruised.”

Hundreds have been arrested across the country as mostly young protesters have torched cars and attacked infrastructure following the death of 17-year-old Nahel M., who was shot dead when he tried to flee a traffic stop.

Violence appeared to be ebbing somewhat in and around the French capital over the weekend and the haute couture shows—celebrating the most expensive, tailor-made end of fashion—were due to go ahead as planned, the French fashion federation told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday.

Saudi newcomers

A dominant feature of this season in Paris has been the lavish spending by Saudi Arabia as it tries to establish its own fashion industry.

That continues this week, with couturier Mohammad Ashi becoming the first Saudi designer to show as part of the official haute couture week roster with his eponymous label.

There have been multiple events across the menswear and couture weeks to introduce newcomers from the kingdom, including a cocktail soirée at the Ritz hotel on Monday.

Ashi has been a favorite of celebrities for a while, dressing the likes of Queen Rania of Jordan, Penélope Cruz and star of the new “Indiana Jones” movie Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who wore one of his creations to the London premiere last week.

Saudi Arabia has been pumping billions, not just into fashion but into everything from film to football, as part of radical social changes overseen by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Couture week also saw first-time appearances by the United States’ Thom Browne and France’s Charles de Vilmorin alongside regulars like Christian Dior.Surrealist closet at Schiaparelli

An artist-inspired show from Schiaparelli opened Paris haute couture week Monday. Before a crowd including rapper Cardi B, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and actress Gwendoline Christie, Schiaparelli got things rolling with what it described as “a Surrealist’s interpretation of a woman’s essential closet.”

One of the designs was created by hand-painting a woman’s body in the style of artist Lucian Freud and then transferring it to a silk body stocking.

A cardigan and skirt made from broken mirror pieces was inspired by sculptor Jack Whitten and there were nods to Sarah Lucas, Joan Miró and Salvador Dali—borrowing the vibrant colors of his distorted sunrise paintings.

The brand’s designer Daniel Roseberry has overseen a revamp at the long-standing brand and caused a media sensation at its last show with fake animal heads sported by the likes of Kylie Jenner.

Roman antiquity at DiorFor her fall show, Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri reined in the volumes often associated with haute couture fashion and sent out a line-up of slender dresses and capes in neutral tones and touches of gold and silver.

“The complexity is not so visible,” Chiuri told Reuters, pointing to tiny stitches fixing pleats on a dress.

The designer mined styles associated with classical antiquity—she grew up in Rome, surrounded by statues from the era—and, moving away from pinched waists, offered long, column dresses, opera coats and capes.

Embellishments were kept to a minimum and included pearls and flat braids, while metallic threads added texture to jacquard fabrics.

“I like to transform the traditional jacquard and brocade into something more natural—I like the contradiction between the two materials, I think I can create something new,” she said, noting raw silk was woven into the fabric of a dress and jacket ensemble, alongside metallic thread.

Thom Browne’s dramatic couture debut

Thom Browne marked his debut on the Paris haute couture calendar on Monday with a dramatic display of voluminous fashion in the French capital’s famous opera house.

The American designer drew his audience in through the back door of the baroque monument, up dusty flights of wooden stairs to the runway set—the middle of the stage, with the audience seated on both sides.The curtain lifted at the start of the show to reveal a full theater—the red velvet seats and gilded balconies occupied by rows of cardboard cutouts of a man in a gray suit and sunglasses.

Models emerged slowly, on towering platform shoes, marching past a flock of fabric-covered pigeons and pausing under an enormous gray, fabric-covered bell hanging above the set.

Some wore headgear in the shape of birds, while others had bandages wrapped around their heads, worn with elaborate gray wigs.

Browne puffed out the volumes of dresses, giving them balloon-like sleeves and paired tweed ensembles and pleated skirts with long coats embroidered with pigeons or seaside motifs like starfish.Browne, who is chairperson of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is best known for his signature gray suit, but he has also built a reputation for showmanship. Last fall, for example, he closed a Cinderella-themed show with Mj Rodriguez dancing in a pink Cadillac made of tulle.

Black Lab takes Chanel runway

Chanel creative director Virginie Viard chose a quay on the Right Bank of the bustling Seine River for her fall haute couture catwalk show, a setting that added breeziness to a relaxed and elegant line-up.

Models strode across the cobblestones lining the river, parading tweed suits lined with tufts of tulle or embellished with flower motifs in autumn tones, as tourists floated by on the city’s famous bateaux mouches (tourist boats), exchanging waves with the audience.French model Caroline de Maigret opened the show, her brown hair worn loose over her shoulders, in a long tweed overcoat cinched at the waist and gold-tipped heels.

Dressier looks followed, including a shimmery, black dress coated in sequins and an all-gold skirt and jacket ensemble, while more bohemian silhouettes included a loose pink and orange blouse paired with a full skirt in gold and black tweed.

Adding to the nonchalant spirit, one model was accompanied by a sleek black Labrador, while other models carried baskets of flowers.

Closing the show, they walked in pairs and trios and the jazzy soundtrack gave way to the 1980s duet by Elton John and France Gall, “Donner pour donner.”

Armani sparkle

Giorgio Armani layered on the shimmer and shine for his fall haute couture collection, sending sparkling pantsuits and ballgowns down a slick runway.

The 88-year-old designer worked a somber color palette for the Giorgio Armani Privé lineup, mostly restricted to red, black and gold.

He coated red dresses with rows of beads of the same color, while evening jackets were often embellished with floral motifs. Three-dimensional roses of all sizes appeared throughout the collection, accenting necklines and adorning shoulders.

Models walked slowly and deliberately in stilettos with pointed toes, which poked out from under the raw hems of mesh skirts and silk trousers.

Slicked-back hairstyles, slender clutches and prominent earrings completed the looks.

The Italian designer closed the show with a crimson bridal dress, the sparkling white bodice covered in red flowers. —Reports from AFP and Reuters