PARIS — If runway shows displayed flashy accessories pushing quiet luxury out once and for all, brands presenting their new collections at showrooms here during Paris Fashion Week offered a polarized approach, splitting between those embracing the maximalist comeback and the ones that have always centered their aesthetic on purity of lines and function.

Yet both categories shared a deeper dedication to materials and craftsmanship, often revisiting their signature styles with tweaks in design or elevating their quality.

Take Roger Vivier’s seasonal showcase, where creative director Gherardo Felloni reinterpreted the brand’s heritage in a more-is-more direction via the Belle Vivier style reimagined with a chunkier spoon heel for daytime or the house’s archival butterfly motif turned into a hard-to-miss, embroidered embellishment popping up on satin pointed mules and slingbacks for nighttime.

Ditto for Christian Louboutin’s show, where the shoe guru’s famous La Pigalle pump first introduced in 2004 was reinvented in one-of-a-kind versions by the brand’s atelier, including one with golden feathered wings, the Macbetha design covered in dark crystals and featuring an added metal cage evoking skeletal forms — and the scaled-up version that served as a prop for Dita Von Teese’s spectacular performance.

But even in the intimacy of showrooms, there were plenty of compelling fresh takes on archival pieces, new designs balancing form and function, and incursions of much-needed playfulness that deserve attention.

Here, WWD rounds up key accessories you might have missed over the past week:

Bulgari

At the Bulgari store in Place Vendôme, the company held the presentation of its latest bag collection. The key piece was a rendition of the Melone minaudière, a historic design first conceived in the ’70s, when it was crafted from solid gold.

In its modern version, its sculptural and chiseled oval shape inspired by the melon — a fruit long associated with abundance, prosperity and vitality — came in aluminum pleated in 24-karat gold for enhanced lightness. Napa leather linings, a cabochon clasp inlaid with white mother-of-pearl, and interchangeable silk tassels available in 12 colors to encourage customers’ personalization rounded out the style.

In the same vein, the company teased new iterations of its Icons minaudière line debuted in January, as well as new colorways and sizes of some of the designs Bulgari’s creative director of leather goods and accessories Mary Katrantzou has introduced so far, spearheaded by the Serpenti Forever family of handbags. The standouts in the line included hand-embroidered versions arraying raffia threads and more than 1,000 beads in the brand’s distinctive Calla pattern, for a bucolic interpretation that required more than 20 hours of work for each piece.

For a sleeker alternative, the rectangular shape of the Tubogas Spheres clutch married a pared-back leather construction with a precious handle inspired by the Tubogas bracelets and featuring charming enameled spheres in different colors or covered in pavés of zirconia.

Jude

Fast emerging as a provider of some of the most comfortable heels on offer today, the brand founded by Jurgita Dileviciute and Denitsa Bumbarova is going sharper in shapes — and softer in materials. Best of the crop were the Blade and Point pumps, the enveloping Italian silk satin cage design of the Brooke heel and the Babe mule, with its black satin upper and contrasting lemon yellow leather peeking out from underfoot. There were also flat options, including flattering thongs and lace-up sandals.

Christen

For spring, Nina Christen wanted to work around the monochrome look for her signature ergonomic structure. “I love thong uppers and wanted to find a way to twist [it] to almost look like two shoes in one,” she told WWD.

Exhibit A: the python-covered Helix shoe, which prompted the designer to declare herself “obsessed” with such motifs from the natural world. “No designer can create patterns like the ones we find in nature,” said Christen. “I love the irregularity of the placement,” which climbs along the front of the foot like the animal would.

Le Monde Béryl

After quietly opening a store in New York last month, the London-based, Italian-produced brand established by Lily Atherton Hanbury and Katya Shyfrin continued to mark its 10th anniversary by refining its chic aesthetic, which has drawn a cult following through the years.

The label’s signature slippers came with a new center seam detail, its slender loafers crafted from the supplest leather were in two-color combinations, while a new Leaf family gave sandals and mules in patent leather a twist via an asymmetric toe shape. The label’s popular mary janes and ballerina flats were flanked by pointy slingbacks with contrasting tips that are poised to elevate everyday looks. Ditto for a wedged mule crafted from a single piece of leather and featuring a croc-embossed effect.

Boyy

Boyy set up a pop-up store a stone’s throw from Place Vendôme during Paris Fashion Week to showcase its new collection “Boudoir.”

“I imagined passing through the boudoir of a woman whose world is filled with fascinating objects,” said Jesse Dorsey, who cofounded the brand with partner Wannasiri Kongman in New York in 2006.

In sync with the inspiration, the Parisian temporary space displayed the different expressions of the Bangkok- and Milan-based brand, which is best known for its handbags but has expanded its scope to , some ready-to-wear pieces and special projects.

New takes on Boyy’s distinctive Bobby bag defined by a big belt and buckle construction came in gradient-hued versions or a hybrid mixing leather and denim. These added to new iterations of the Benji grained leather daily bag, the Bradley organza pouches spelling the name of the brand loudly and the Wave beach bag in raffia, to accessorize with summery leather charms shaped as sailboats, whales and starfish.

The whimsical footwear assortment spanned from the Verona ballet flats with a girly, heart-shaped opening on the upper balanced by the sporty touch of a drawstring detail to wooden wedges with holes offsetting their chunky appearance.

Phileo

Having kicked off Paris Fashion Week with a seventh anniversary installation by artist Ari Marcopoulos, Phileo Landowski introduced a spring collection that pushed further into the volume exploration at the heart of his label. The brand has also opened The Annexe, an extension of its Paris store dedicated to installations. Cue revisits of classic shapes such as bowling shoes, ballet flats, mules and T-straps with his now signature curvaceous toe box. New materials were also offered, with a striking feathery silver leather and a zesty polka-dot Vichy check canvas. Combinations of hairy suede and pebbled leather, including a flattering blush-blond gradient, were also introduced.

Alohas

Alohas knows how to focus on its bestsellers, introducing various iterations of its popular styles season after season. Take the ruched-toed Aven loafer, now available in a charming olive green shade or vintage-inspired suedes, and the Rosalind ballet flats, a family that expanded to include pastel colors and mesh iterations, as well as tweaks in its silhouette ranging from an even more lightweight and flexible barefoot sole to the new branding punctuating the style on the heel or dangling from the frontal bow. An alternative was the Elva leather ballet flats, which recalled the same shape but had a folded construction on the wide toe.

This month the brand was on expansion mode distribution-wise as well: in addition to opening its second store in Paris and an outpost in Vienna last week, it is gearing up to cut the ribbon of a unit in Berlin this month.

Aeyde

Florals? From Aeyde? Groundbreaking, indeed. For a brand so rooted in sleek designs and drenched in an ever-present Bauhaus inspiration, seeing a botanical print infiltrating its language was unexpected. Founder Luisa Dames had flowers in mind for the past few years, but it took a bouquet from the Aeyde showroom to eventually push her in that direction. The IRL inspiration was manipulated both digitally and by hand to create a graphic composition in unexpected shades of green, yellow and blue on black silk wrapping kitten-heeled pumps and mules. For added femininity, an oversize yet still graphic bow was integrated into the upper, too.

Also new was an A-shaped heel, poised to be a recurrent theme in the brand’s assortment from now on. It appeared on low styles and in a new, 3.3-inch version that made for the highest heel at the brand. Hourglass-heeled mules, python-printed wedges, and barely-there strappy sandals with knots rounded out the ever-growing Aeyde world.

Giaborghini

Following the launch of the “Opera” capsule collection developed with Pirrie Wright last season, Giaborghini strengthened its partnership with the stylist via a wider collection that also signaled the label’s overarching bid for brand elevation.

The evening pumps in satin defined by an exaggerated flap on the front and occasionally punctuated by feathers that marked the first tie-up, were here joined by slippers, pointed flats, kitten-heeled mules and sandals with a 1920s flair, all taking cues from the intimate elegance of the boudoir. Crafted in leather, suede and satin, most designs came with a loop detail on the upper and in a color palette nodding to the hues of the mosaic flooring of Paris institution La Coupole.

“I was interested in taking something as intimate and familiar as a house slipper and giving it a new attitude,” said Wright. “The references are deliberately personal, but the intention was never to recreate the past. It was about finding the details that still feel beautiful today and allowing them to become something new.”

Barbara Borghini, who established the brand a decade ago, said this partnership marks a new chapter for her Florence-based company. “Having Pirrie join the brand as co-creative director has brought a fresh perspective and a new energy to the creative process. Her personal archive, her understanding of footwear and her instinct for unexpected details have opened up new ways of looking at the codes of Giaborghini,” she said.

Duha

One can always count on Duha Bukadi for a dash of playfulness. The Dubai-based talent and previous founder of shoe brand Pupchen has been rapidly building her new venture around a sense of fun. She titled her latest collection “You can’t afford me” — a tongue-in-cheek message to luxury companies and competitors.

She spelled it out in rhinestone lettering on satin peep-toed mules, which joined embellished styles featuring what Bukadi considers “simple symbols of joy.” Enter enameled pomegranates popping up on fire-red leather mules or dangling from the ankle strap of gold sandals; red charms recalling the fruit’s seeds applied on PVC slingbacks, and sculptural palm-shaped high heels. These add to Bukadi’s signature exaggerated toes that recall the shape of the foot in designs ranging from flats with big bows to bejeweled mules and pumps in vibrant colors.

Létrange

Led by chairman and seventh-generation family member Sébastien Létrange, the historic brand Létrange embraced both trends in revisiting its jewel-in-the-crown bag style Empreinte. Best known for the irregular shape of its sculptural metal handle, the design went deep in a single color in its new Empreinte Black 6C rendition, while it subtly surfed the ornamental wave in the Empreinte Byzance version.

To be sure, the former intended to evoke the elegance and versatility of a little black dress, juxtaposing the shiny surface of its leather body with the matte effect of the matching handle. The latter was punctuated with three colored stones spontaneously arranged on a side of the handle, which included a large green prehnite cabochon as well as a pear-cut red garnet and green peridot.

Joseph Duclos

Ramesh Nair remained focused on craftsmanship at Maison Joseph Duclos. Under his lead, the historic accessories brand that he joined after making a name for himself at Hermès, Jean Paul Gaultier and Moynat has been revamped with timeless styles made from top-notch materials and with painstaking details.

He continued to push the boundaries of the company’s savoir-faire with limited-edition pieces, including the braided Diane L20 bag available in just eight, individually numbered pieces. For the occasion, Nair updated the Diane style with hand-stitched detailing that required a lengthy process and extreme precision from the company’s artisans.

Also new, the Venantia collection reprised the codes of the Diane design but in slender proportions, while the Apolloni line inspired by an 18th-century travel bag expanded to include a luxe leather weekender. Speaking of journeys, last month the brand stepped outside its national borders to open its second permanent address after the Paris flagship at Landmark Atrium in Hong Kong.

Aesther Ekme

For everyday bags with a high design quotient, knock on the blue door of Aesther Ekme’s Parisian showroom. The brand Stephane Park founded in 2016 has carved out a niche for its mix of influences — from Brazilian Brutalist architecture to Scandinavian minimalism — that translate into ergonomic silhouettes adapting to the body and aiming to be natural extensions of the wearer. This season’s star was the Asa Tote, a large flat architectural shape with asymmetric shoulder straps that shined in its simplicity thanks to the contrasting textures, like in the charming canvas and leather version.

With the same approach, the brand also debuted commuter bags crafted from Italian canvas and framed with calfskin straps and flaps that would instantly make traveling a more polished experience, and expanded its successful Demi Lune family of asymmetric bags with a mini size — striking in a tobacco croc-embossed iteration — and a crossbody version nodding to the classic saddle bag, reimagined with adjustable straps for hands-free ease.

Manu Atelier

Sisters Beste and Merve Manastır are enhancing their brand’s refined minimalism through an increasing attention to materials, craftsmanship and details such as more elevated hardware and stitching.

In addition to expanding its successful and highly Instagrammed Le Cambon family with new sizes and pouches reprising its belted construction, the founders debuted the Duo style. A daily handbag, it married style and functionality with its capacious silhouette rich in pockets and compartments. Crafted from extra supple leather or soft suede, the versatile design was also available in a mini size, all rendered in classic shades or the new Sienna color, a red-brown hue echoing the Redbole nuance that has become one of the most recognizable colors of the Turkish accessories brand.

Verafied

Kelly Rutherford was the special cohost of the intimate cocktail celebrating New York-based accessories brand Verafied and its latest collection during Paris Fashion Week. Flanking the actress, founder Vera C. Wang introduced to talents and friends new styles, building on the brand’s aesthetic hinged on minimalist shapes in bold textures, ranging from shiny satin to animalier patterns. Suedes and leathers defined the more daily proposition, elevated by hardware and lock details.

“Everything that’s vintage” served as inspiration, said Wang. “I love history, and all the old elements about the city. I love putting all the vintage elements into my designs… everything is vintage-inspired but modernized,” she said.

“[Vera C. Wang] has so many different types of bags,” said Rutherford. “All the handles completely change, you can make them short or long, and they are so chic and comfortable. They’re just amazing. Did you know the new one has an actual necklace on it, which I love?”

Lura

Yvonne Roe’s Lura doubled down on its versatile yet elevated approach to leather goods for its fourth season open to wholesale, which has seen its retailer list grow to a dozen, such as Antonia in Milan and The Conservatory in Dallas.

Getting much attention during her Paris showroom was the versatile Mini Ive, which can go from clutch to crossbody bag and was available in a range of leathers as well as a beautiful hand-loomed embroidered silk. Also drawing the eye was the Sandrine. Recently spotted on Angelina Jolie, it is a small version of the capacious San tote, with a zippered divider that can hold folders and a laptop.

Then there is My Second Bag, Lura’s answer to the ubiquitous extra tote bag many reach for in luxurious unlined leather and minimal lines.

Kassandre

Ilan Delouis’ newly instated leather goods house, which inaugurated its first store on Rue de Rivoli during the week, continues to explore frame bag shapes. Freshly released is the Madeleine line, which took inspiration from the Madeleine Vionnet vintage bracelet that inspired the brand’s logo. Its curves become signature hardware that finish a shapely clutch in smooth leather.

Also introduced in Paris was the Colonne, the first scented “jewelry perfume” imagined by Delouis and designed by Alican Icoz. “As I developed the bag collections, I began to imagine how I wanted the leather to smell and what scent would feel like Kassandre,” said the founder.

Maeden

Big handbags conceived with summer’s long days and seasonal traveling in mind were at the core of Christian Heikoop’s latest proposition for Maeden, the Amsterdam-based label he launched in 2022 and that ever since has gained steam for its understated appeal and sweet-spot price points, ending up scooping the accessories prize at the 2024 ANDAM Fashion Awards.

Key designs in the new line ranged from the Rib Tote knitted shoulder bag to the airy East Net style providing a leather interpretation of a fishing net. The collection also included a fabric bag for the first time, including the Atlas tote design in sun-bleached cotton or sturdy canvas with leather details and strap. Those looking for function in a smaller format could go for the Riva crossbody style in folded lambskin and with the sides curving inward, giving it a tucked shape.

Dadov

Designer Islam Dadov debuted his label Dadov during Paris Fashion Week, introducing its first collection of handbags centered on architectural restraint and material precision.

Emphasizing reduction rather than accumulation, the brand signals the synthesis of Dadov’s former experiences. His early career within Inditex provided him with a grounding in product architecture, supply dynamics and execution at scale. His subsequent move into high luxury, first at Gucci and later at Dior in Paris, developed his knowledge of leathercraft, materials and the standards of luxury product.

Dadov’s inaugural collection hinged on three styles: Aster and Neige, whose minimal silhouettes featured the Fivefold D symbol as a hardware and chain, respectively, and Bella, a trapezoidal suede design enriched by a cascade of crystal fringes.

Jocqueline x Guillaume Hiriat Carriat

Seoul-based leather goods brand Jocqueline, founded by Tei Kim, has tapped Guillaume Hiriart Carriat, the founder of the inaugural Ami x IFM entrepreneurship prize in 2022, for a collaboration around the lush leathers made by the Frenchman’s family tannery. Inspired by the Basque word for feather, the soft Boston-style “Luma” bag comes in four sizes and opens to reveal a contrasting lining.

Ahlem

The eyewear brand is dipping its toe into leather goods with a collection built around travel — with one’s eyewear of course. First out of the gate in the seven-strong lineup — one for each day of the week, founder Ahlem Manai-Platt said — are a leather necklace with a wrapped ring, an element that serves as the docking point for suspending glasses by their stem, and the “Upside Down” cover, which nods to key holders and adds a pebbled leather sleeve to protect eyewear from the elements.

Ruslan Baginskiy

If hats put the Ukrainian milliner on the fashion map, he’s got a knack for turning things on their head — in every sense. There were plenty of new spins on his famous baker boy cap showcased like art objects in a striking Plexiglas installation in an art gallery opposite Le Bristol, plus numerous other variations on other headgear in his spring 2027 lineup. But what caught the eye was the transformer HatBag, here in a graphic mix of natural and black straw.

— with contributions from Lily Templeton.