The omens were good at the Gareth P

The omens were good at the Gareth Pugh show this evening, in the ornate salons of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild. To begin with, Cher was in attendance, causing something of a furor among the press. It seemed that the oft-reinvented singer was something of a lucky black cat for Pugh, as the London-based designer produced a great show that married some of the old Gareth with the new Pugh of last season.

Pugh's linear, graphic style—you can have any color as long as it's black, white, or gray—was back. Yet it was coupled with that slightly softer romanticism of last season; there was a prolonged section of deep blue in this collection, something not seen before from the designer, as well as an enveloping sense of forceful femininity. As the show began, Pugh's structured, rigid silhouettes were mixed with a late-Victorian, floor-sweeping sensibility that brought to mind a Wilkie Collins set piece. A stiff, stark, floor-length funnel-necked dress was softened somewhat by gold embroidery of branches around its edges. Yet, as the woman in white was gradually replaced by the woman in black, any thoughts of ethereality were swiftly banished, especially as the model Marie Piovesan came down the runway playing a forceful role.