Paris Fashion Week has produced a range of characteristically luxurious and elegant collections, but the prevailing theme has been a desire for longer hemlines. Designers embraced an eclectic mix of mid-calf to floor-length cuts—from pale shades to wintry palettes, coarse wools to billowing pleated silks, vintage full skirts to contouring pencils—which will offer a range of favorable choices for all body types.

Damir Doma’s “Modern Renaissance” collection featured rich brick orange and black suede skirts with creative leather stitch details and curving hemlines. Sharon Wauchob’s romantic presentation evoked ‘20s flapper flair (a continuing trend from s/s ’12) with dropped waistlines and long pleated skirts in printed silk chiffons, while Limi Feu amplified a wide mid-calf skirt with delicate crochet overlay. Elsewhere, Barbara Bui combined eastern and western influences, mixing fluid long skirts reminiscent of ‘70s glamour with quilted patchwork shearling coats.

And perhaps in anticipation of bitter climates, designers chose floor-sweeping lines for dramatic effects. Marcel Marongiu’s dark collection for Guy Laroche displayed interesting textured combinations such as a black sheer leathery blouse with plunging opaque paired with tailored, asymmetric, Asian-inspired jackets. Rick Owens presented a similarly dark collection, but favored softer silhouettes to create simple long frocks in textured fabrics with floor-length coats. And although long skirts tend to be all-enveloping, designers Ann Demeulemeester and Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing added daring slits to figure-hugging shapes.