Moments before Phan Huy’s inaugural show on the official Paris schedule kicked off, two rounds of cheers went up backstage.

Led by the 26-year-old designer’s team giving their models a pre-runway boost, it also marked a double first: the designer is the youngest to be invited among guest couturiers under his own name, and the first hailing from Vietnam.

For the occasion, the heritage he shares with his label’s London-based cofounder Steven Doan was front and center in the lineup, albeit through craft rather than overt style references.

Backstage, Doan explained some of the fabrics at play this season, which included tulle livened with tubes of horsehair that created a fan-like striping effect or three-dimensional embroideries made of sculptural loops individually applied.

Another was an organza strewn with 3D-cut leaves, individually edged in tubular beads and stitched in place. A red dress that shivered with every move as Coco Rocha sashayed down the runway required around three months to create.

Silhouettes hewed close to a classically Western take on couture, with fitted corsetry and opulent skirts, many with crinoline constructions. On shorter numbers, it added a flirty swing, but made longer options feel like a safe play.

Where Phan’s work truly sang was when fabrics turned fluid, like a richly embroidered netting beaded with myriad stones, or a stunner chiffon column dress overlaid with long glittering strands and a trailing burst of chiffon. Elsewhere, bralets encrusted with rhinestones and sequins had a playful sensuality.

They were among the examples that telegraphed the brand’s intention of being “couture, but fun” that Doan shared backstage.