Last season, Duran Lantink’s debut Jean Paul Gaultier show was divisive, to say the least – who can forget those naked bodysuits? But, in returning to the runway for his sophomore offering, it was evident that Lantink had certainly found his stride. This season’s cast of characters embodied the diversity of Gaultier’s universe, “Some could be a detective, a cowboy, a raver, a steampunk figure or a banker on Fifth Avenue,” read the show notes. Had we seen them before? The shapeshifting nature of Gaultier means we can never be so sure. 

Lantink’s starting point for this season was a vintage mesh T-shirt with the face of Marlene Dietrich on it, a treasured belonging from his personal archive. The German-American actress and singer whose seven-decade-long career began in 1920s Berlin was celebrated not only for her acting, but also for her androgynous persona, which was wildly ahead of its time. Embodying the duality of the house, Dietrich’s presence in Lantink’s design references opened the door for a whole new set of personalities.

In a complete shift from SS26, this season’s opening series of looks highlighted Lantink’s tailoring skills. Sweeping overcoats cinched at the waist, shirt collars extended high up over models’ heads, and pinstripe trousers featured garters and pants – a nod to JPG Haute Couture SS16. That corporate character had a swift makeover into an apres-ski regular, as technical garments appeared in the form of gorpcore-esque anoraks, and Fair Isle knits from FW90 reappeared as body-tight base layers. Wooden puppet-printed bodysuits harked back to Les Marionnettes from FW04, while a number of dresses were literally smoking – pure cinema.