Marc Audibet for Vionnet

The turn-around at Vionnet has begun - and that is the appropriate language to describe the work of the designer Marc Audibet, who put so much loving attention into the back of his slithering dresses. A red ribbon criss-crossing a bared back or just a scoop at the nape proved how deeply Audibet has understood the essence of Madeleine Vionnet, who invented the bias cut in the 1930s. "It's the mystery - she was a sorceress," said Audibet, explaining how the importance of Vionnet's style is the apparent ease with which fabric "falls like the rain" across the body.

That effect comes from complex seaming. And just following Audibet's trail of seams was a jigsaw puzzle: here, a diamond pattern etched into a short chiffon dress; there, a sunburst of tiny tucks in a bodice or a halter neck with the skirt draped across the body below. The 20-piece presentation was mostly in black, but used that as a "color" according to different textures. A touch of red and a soupçon of pink made for a sophisticated and elegant after dark collection that deserves the big investment needed to revitalize Vionnet.