It may have been 8:30 in the evening when the Ami show took place, but Alexandre Mattiussi turned the clocks and presented a runway timed at 5:00am, when a new dawn rises in Paris.

Now, what was it about Ami’s FW24 show that felt so unmistakably Parisian? Apart from, well, the fact it literally took place in Paris. Was it the particular tailoring of the jackets? Cinched at the waist with those golden doorknob-like buttons. Was it the cheekbones of the male models in their brown woollen coats and pristine shirts and cropped trousers beneath? Was it that pop of yellow from the leather boots beneath the high-necked coat?

Perhaps it was the collection’s sunglasses, huge like moons and in tortoiseshell and black shellac. Or maybe it was the leather gloves with the stitching on proud display. A grey, herringbone coat over a nude top and high-waisted blue denim jeans, gloves and brown leather handbag is a look that only a Parisian could consider casual. 

But then maybe it was the fitted suit with shirt and tie worn by a woman that brought to mind the masculine wardrobe of Jeanne Moreau in Jules et Jim. Maybe it was the raw sexuality of a sheer top worn under a boxy pinstripe suit. Or maybe it was the fact that there on the runway was Laetitia Casta, perhaps the greatest French supermodel, being watched in the wings by Vincent Cassel, Juliette Binoche and Isabelle Adjani.

Perhaps it was Alexandre Mattiussi’s unique vision that has seen his brand (and its Ami de Cœur logo) become a major player on the global fashion scene in the last five years. Perhaps the show simply just had that je ne sais quoi.