Ideas from couture, including pleats, jacquards and little black dresses, all figured in this fresh and sprightly offer.

Some guys looked as if they had just crawled out of bed, though you had to admire their quick-wittedness to put on clothing that made sense.

At Maison Margiela, John Galliano showed a collection that unified elements of different worlds in a compelling, kinetic whole.

At Maison Margiela, John Galliano has found his own middle, one grounded in self-control rather than compromise.

Super-tight cycling shorts styled with nylon bombers evokes a Nineties feel.

John Galliano made it central to his pre-fall collection.

Subversion and humor are aspects of Martin Margiela’s legacy that John Galliano magnified with his ravishing spring collection — a dressy affair that equally exalted the English designer’s theatrical, couture chops.

John Galliano’s fall couture collection for Maison Margiela was a masterwork of invention and craft.

Forget deconstruction — clean chic is taking over at Maison Margiela, which conspicuously steered away from its signature style for spring into a surprisingly polished direction.

In his collection for Maison Margiela, John Galliano played with proportion, sensuality and quite a few trompe l'oeil effects — to chic effect.

The model clutched her paper-bag purse like it was the most precious thing on Earth and marched headlong down the runway, as if tightening into a strong wind.

The collection walked the like between Seventies disco-glam and fine tailoring.

The not-so-little house of conceptual fashion and deconstruction has decamped to the prairie for spring.

The design team at Maison Martin Margiela clearly had some leftovers from last couture’s impressive collection built on vintage fabrics.

The show was fresh and compelling, though not without mishaps.