The strangest ever season of catwalk shows ended in Paris with Chanel and Louis Vuitton, displaying an industry divided between nostalgia for the razzmatazz of the old normal and a futuristic vision of what fashion could be.

The 14-metre white capital letters of the Hollywood sign that crown the Santa Monica Mountains do not just designate a place name. Since they were erected in the roaring 20s, they have stood for a glamorous fantasy world to which anyone can buy entry, with a cinema ticket. For the Chanel show a venue reinvented in seasons past as a spaceship or a supermarket or an ocean liner was dressed simply with the brand name spelt out as if on the Hollywood Hills.