The last time H&M came to Paris, the Swedish fast-fashion chain was feting its capsule collaboration with Isabel Marant. Under a giant disco ball. Last night, the reason for all the champagne was the Fall collection of its own house label. Jessica Alba, Solange Knowles, and Miranda Kerr posed for the paparazzi in the front row, and French pop star Cécile Cassel (the half-sister of actor Vincent Cassel) performed onstage. H&M doesn't do anything small. On the catwalk, Joan Smalls, Mariacarla Boscono, Anna Ewers, and the gang wore big smiles and clothes that tapped into the season's key trends: oversize tailoring and wispy, lingerie-inspired slips; shearling outerwear (the shearling is faux, but the suede and leather are real); chunky sweaters; and even glittery sports jersey minidresses à la Tom Ford via Geoffrey Beene.

"We're always thinking about the girl who wants to look cool and effortless," said Ann-Sofie Johansson, the head of design, new development. It didn't go unnoticed by Jourdan Dunn, who sat out this show to watch from the front row with the other bold-facers. "I really liked the shearling that Nadja Bender was wearing and the white piece that Lindsey Wixson had on," she said. "There's a lot of wearable stuff. That's the thing about H&M, it's very wearable." From a pro like Dunn, that's high praise.

Nicole Phelps

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