They’ve been sweating the small stuff in Paris. When the world at large lurches from one extreme to another, you focus on what you can control. On the catwalks, designers displayed an obsession with classic couture detailing, be it fluted sleeves, peplums, the curving back of a sac shape or the generous tent of the trapeze. Off the catwalks, however, this took another form: surface technique. Which is not the same thing as superficial. Read more