'Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger,’ said of his inspiration, when asked to sum up his show backstage. He was talking about the cult 1983 vampire film, directed by the late Tony Scott and also starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon, in which Deneuve looks chic as can be, all chignon-hair, sculpted dresses and sharp heels.

This was pretty much the case at Mouret’s show this morning. Another reference might have been Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love video with the models slicked-back hair, smoky eyes, red lips and 10 denier black tights. They certainly looked sexy in those dresses that zipped up the back, in striking blocks of colour.

Mouret has a way of making you look harder at a sexy dress; it’s something to do with the way it curves the body without ever restricting it and the way it is actually made. Imagine a paper airplane with its sharp clean lines, then picture it flattened out; you still see its construction, the ‘darts’ and ‘seams’. It’s the same with Mouret’s dresses; he wants you to see the sharpness and skill of his pattern making.

It wasn’t all dresses – although they certainly dominated - there were lean trousers that often came with gaiters in contrast fabric that mimicked the look of a thigh-high boot – fast becoming this season’s favourite footwear. He also made second-skin bodies, (a 1980s concept that is also making a comeback) so that nothing could ruck up and disturb his super-clean, super-lean pencil skirts or those detachable collars that framed almost every neck. Print, in the form of leopard in green, red and grey, ticked another trend of the season, as did the eveningwear section, in solid black silk with punches of white.

This was a strong collection from the man who does sexy best. Catherine Deneuve, eat your heart out.