On the first day of Paris Fashion Week, Simon Porte transported guests to the outskirts of Paris where he recreated a charming South of France village lined with pastel houses, laundry hanging out to dry, and roads named after his favourite artists — welcome to Place Jacquemus.

This season, the French designer expanded from the barely-there La Bomba dresses of Spring/Summer 2019 to a collection inspired by art world giants. It was entitled “La Collectionneuse” (the collector), in one part to honour artists such as Pierre Jeanneret, Gar Aulenti, and Nathalie Du Pasquier, in another, to reference Porte’s expansive collection of ceramics. The clothing itself put a larger emphasis on tailoring and utilitarian codes, softened by the Mediterranean warmth of exposed shoulders, wrap-around fits and louche panels left partly-buttoned.

There were skirts that looked like folded down trench coats, a cropped powder blue army jacket that wrapped around the waist, delicate knit layers, painterly prints, and a slew of suiting separates in a distinctly Jacquemus colour palette of soft neutrals met with bright pinks, oranges, blues and greens. Accessories were plenty and strong, most notably a foursome of padded pouches worn around the waist, huge totes bags and, in contrast, the micro Le Saq Chiquito that measured half the size of a business card.