Paris Fashion Week is coming to a close, but one designer has made an impact just in time for International Women’s Day. English designer Sarah Burton has led Alexander McQueen since the passing of its founder in 2010. Burton caused a splash at Paris Fashion Week with a bombastic show intended to empower women. She told Vogue the theme was “metamorphosis... all the expressions of femininity”.

Burton did this by showcasing clothes modelled after a butterfly’s life cycle. Some models walked in bulky black jumpsuits, meant to resemble cocoons. Others wore bold suits with flaying coattails, resembling the time of transformation. Finally, models hit the catwalk with vibrant floral prints and draping capes, representing the final stage of a butterfly. There were other hints to insect life, like silk evening dresses inspired by silkworm caterpillars. Burton told i-D that the collection was all about “extreme nature, extreme women”. The designer explained that “McQueen has always been about powerful women, it has to be about empowering women”.