Valentino's black-and-white monasticism, Lagerfeld's brasserie

Rome, March 11 - Evolving heritage to suit contemporary fashion takes talent, inventing a powerful legacy all over again is a downright art - a case in point proven at the Valentino and Chanel fashion shows Tuesday in Paris.

At Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli debuted 84 fall-winter 2015 looks inspired by two women who were both artists and muses - Emilie Floge to Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt and Celia Birtwell to her husband, legendary designer Ossie Clark, as well as British artist David Hockney.

A composition of black-and-white monasticism and Klimtian aesthetic provided the contours along which the two designers evolved the concept of "sensuality and independence" as embodied by the two women.

Floge, a couturier who rejected the mandatory corsets of her era, was the woman behind the collection's A-line silhouettes, the velvet coats and gold-leaf designs on fox furs.

Birtwell, who is still alive and lives in London, collaborated with the designers on a number of motifs, including a dragon pattern.

The collection provided new offerings from Chiuri and Piccioli - notably the fisherman knit sweaters styled with A-line skirts and dresses, which gave a casual kick to their refined aesthetic.

Yet the duo worked with their trademark regal-monastic silhouette of small shoulders, slim waist and round neck to send out a message of elegance embracing a wide variety of looks.

These ranged from streamlined black leather capes over tailored pants to tunic dresses in 10 different kinds of lace - a permanent feature of new Valentino collections.

Indeed the Roman fashion house has protected the technique used to create its lace with a patent.

Severity and romanticism flirted in daywear as well red-carpet offerings including a black net gown embroidered with gold, patchworked with mink, and a stunning skirt decorated with gold-edged leather and chiffon inserts.

A surprise wrapping up this complex, far-reaching show was provided by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson who hit the catwalk in a tent in the Tuileries doing a "Zoolander" strut, reportedly to announce they were filming a sequel.

At Chanel, the brasserie Gabrielle - named after the founder- provided the perfect all-French setting to debut 97 looks restyling Chanel to its core.

The background was as impressive as the set design of past shows, including a women's rights demonstration, a supermarket and an art gallery, among others.

Yet the set at the Grand Palais on Tuesday did not distract from the looks on the menu - a huge selection with enough tweeds, wool, padded jackets and bags to recreate the melange of visual offerings that make up the essence of the Chanel aesthetic.

It is no coincidence that Lagerfeld brushed up from the Coco Chanel archive for the very first time black-and-cream 1950s toe-capped slingback shoes donned by models on all of the almost 100 outings, an unprecedented move in his 30-year tenure.

And the show was a rendition of the fashion house's strongest calls - with a substratum of contemporary inspirations.

It embraced drop-waist boucle dresses, a navy chiffon blouse styled over a lace skirt, wrap skirts and a tweed and raffia feathered overcoat.

A few quirky notes were also on the menu, including the handbag designed to resemble a pile of ceramic plates.

There were whiffs of the 1980s with quilted leather puffer jackets and many references to the 1950s.

There were bold new recipes, like the 'girl' bag designed to resemble a classic Chanel jacket and leather sweatpants.

The rest was sublimely straightforward Chanel by Lagerfeld - whether delivered in the form of a tweed coat over a houndstooth skirt or a seasonal version of the timeless 2.55 Chanel bag transformed by the designer into a fashion cult.