Gone is the standard bleachers-runway-models format, cast aside in favour of and Chanel’s Versailles takeovers.

Really, says Alber Elbaz, it’s because designers are trying to keep up with the women in the front row.

‘The behind the scenes is almost becoming as important as the scene,’ Elbaz told the New York Times. ‘It is like, when we are at the shows today, what we see the editors wearing is almost more important than what they are seeing on the runway. In art, the curators are becoming more important than the artists. Now it becomes about how you put your show together, and not about what you show.’

It’s one of the reasons why, when planning his tenth anniversary show for Lanvin, Elbaz knew he had to end with something completely unexpected. As models toured the runway for their finale, Elbaz entered the scene and He viewed the song as a ‘tribute to all the people in fashion who had helped him achieve his dream,’ the NYT reported.

But there was a secondary message, too. Elbaz said he intended the song as an encouragement to designers who have known hard times.

‘It’s very difficult and I’ve been there myself,’ he offered. ‘It’s very difficult when people are writing that you are part of history. You are dealing with people and emotions here, not robots.’