Both on the catwalk and beyond it

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. In a season dogged by intrigue, this could be a mantra, both on the catwalk and beyond it.

More than any of his contemporaries, Marc Jacobs captures the zeitgeist and his show for Louis Vuitton show was an extraordinary display of virtuosity and power. The influences of The Night Porter, Allen Jones and Yves Saint Laurent were all on display, and, of course, the high-camp posturing that is all this designer's own. So, too, were the trends: the moulded, predominantly patent, leather (gleaming corsetry); the rubber (stack-heeled rain boots); the colours (Gothic); the silhouette (skinny on the bottom half, voluminous on the top); and the respect for pioneering technique and hand-craftsmanship that were everywhere in the French fashion capital, all came together here.

While more than a few designers keep accessories to a minimum on the catwalk, feeling, somehow, that they detract from the importance of their designs, Jacobs bombards his followers with them, safe in the knowledge that they form the backbone of an over-crowded market and, for this particular brand in particular, are of vital importance.

If audacity is key here, then a more discreet opulence was on display at Dries Van Noten, where the silhouette remained, for the most part, strict and narrow but fabric and print – all exclusive to the label – ensure that the loyal customer knows she is in possession of something extremely special. Starting quietly and building up to ever more intricate and lovely effect, this show also pulled in a masculine tailoring influence that is over-arching and that Van Noten does very well. As far as mixing different weights, weaves and prints together, often in a single garment, meanwhile, he is a master.

Sarah Burton's second collection for Alexander McQueen demonstrated a similar attention to surface detail and workmanship – fabrics were hand-woven and engineered to suit just a single garment. The McQueen woman was an "ice queen", according to the designer, regal and untouchable in highly structured designs that degraded into feathers, fur and fine wool tufts from the waist down. Gleaming zips, horse harnessing and an ultra-high heel finished with a vicious metal spike ensured that this collection upheld the values of the McQueen name and the play between hard and soft, power and vulnerability in particular.

There was nothing much vulnerable about Karl Lagerfeld's woman at Chanel. She stomped out of her (branded) spaceship in army boots with oversized tweedy cuffs, slouchy trousers and jumpsuits in the finest lace but finished with leather or padded nylon, to youthful and don't-mess-with-me effect. Always among the most confident shows on the international schedule, as befits the status of the world- famous name, this time it was exceptional: in tune with a younger sensibility and all the better for that.

"Tradition, technology, technique – three Ts," was how Alber Elbaz summed up his collection for Lanvin where, with its metal edges, play between matte fabrics and high shine, and exploration of volume were high points. The designer's treatment of the notoriously difficult couture fabric, gazar, stood out – it has a life of its own and is as light as it is subtly luxurious and lovely to wear.

There are few viewpoints as contemporary or metropolitan as Nicolas Ghesquière's. The Balenciaga designer is as interested in moving fashion forward technically – chubby plaited leather and the stand-out print of the season – as he is in creating a contemporary wardrobe for women that is at once pragmatic and individual. The proportions were easier and more relaxed than previously, but any ease belied the virtuosity at the heart of clothing destined to be loved by a fashion-knowledgeable female more than most.