All eyes in Paris were on the debut solo couture display from Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli following the move of his design partner to Dior.

And if the rousing applause was any indication, his sublime styles of ethereal goddesses were a hit for the guests that included Kristin Scott Thomas, "La Vie en Rose" actress Clotilde Courau and fashion maestro Valentino Garavani himself.

Here are the highlights Wednesday of the spring-summer 2017 collections.

VALENTINO'S GRECIAN GODDESSES

An unstructured, almost ethereal air entered the room as Piccioli's highly-anticipated couture show began.

As the first look floated by in billowing floor-length ivory crepe entitled "Euridice" - after the Greek nymph - it was clear this show would be a study in divine proportions.

It was the simplicity, and almost the fragility, of the gowns that made this collection sing. Overly long lengths of chiffon, crepe and silk jersey used in the skirts elongated and narrowed the models' bodies.

But the classical styles - in muted tones with provocative flashes of bright red - were deceptively simple. Subtle, complex twists included Piccioli's use of sections of penumbra tulle, or slashed shoulders. It was sensual, as opposed to sexual - and all the more powerful for it.

The soundtrack by Hollywood movie composer Alexandre Desplat added to the dramatic aura of the 59 looks and left the audience visibly moved.

___

ART MEETS COUTURE IN PARIS

As if the couture designs and the sparkling chandeliers at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild weren't quite enough, Valentino also treated its guests to a contemporary art show Wednesday.

Hanging on the walls of the lavish 19th century Paris manor house were huge canvasses of figurative and abstract art.

The private Tiroche DeLeon Collection featured international works by Chinese artists Liu Wei and Zhang Huan. It also had a huge mixed media work called "Unstoppable" that resembled disintegrating fabric by Indonesian artist Gatot Pujiarto.

Fashion insiders were snapping their cameras at the walls as well as the clothes.

___

GAULTIER'S ACID COLOR

It was all about 1980s' excess for Jean Paul Gaultier - who paid homage to that decade in which he creatively came of age.

Bright acid colors, daring contrasts and vivid floral prints spiced up the 57 couture looks modeled on a runway floodlit with colored lighting.

The big hair, oversize scruffy plaits, satin headscarves, strong shoulders, pinstripes, lashings of denim and stockings in acid yellow, blue and red - were all staples of the 80s. They were given a further injection of boldness when the decor faded from light to bright blue and then to warm brown.

"I wanted to make it graphic - to use color to make an effect ... the city is gray," Gaultier told The Associated Press.

The exuberant designer is never one to be restricted by just one era or style. Brigitte Bardot-like exposed midriffs and gypsy sleeves from the 1960s mixed with the signature Breton striped blouse and corseted bustier.

His biggest statement was in the dazzling, dizzy mix of stripes and bright prints that screamed "more is more."