Christian Lacroix and Elsa Schiaparelli are big names in their own right. So when the former announced he would take on the mantle of designing for the former's restored house earlier this year, there was plenty of speculation as to what he might create.

Lacroix, renowned for the hyper-feminine, often pastoral, pieces that made his name in the 80s, had the challenge of marrying his own not insignificant archive with another instantly recognisable body of work. Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel's nemesis and Surrealist darling, has plenty of heritage behind her name: it was she who popularised the shade now commonly known as 'shocking pink'; she who first introduced 'ethnic (that is to say Eastern and African) influences into fashion in the 30s; she who pioneered, among other things, the first all-in-one (yes, you have the Great Schiap to thank for the jumpsuit!) and the first exposed zips, those details you now take for granted as you undo with ease whatever confection you're currently wearing.

With that weight on his shoulders, Lacroix dutifully revisited the Schiaparelli archive, and presented last night in Paris a couture collection that was faithful not only to that name in terms of aesthetic and poise, but also in its adherence to the female form and clothing that that is both fastidiously fashionable and utterly fabulous.

There was a crinoline skirt that weighed 40 kilos, a military-inspired jacket with a weight of embroidery that would cost that same as a down payment on a car, and, of course, a bejwelled lobster in homage to the art movement that Schiaparelli was so much a part of, and that she played so large a role in popularising.

Haute jewellery echoed this in insects and glittering crustaceans; details on clothing included fur bodices (goat hair this time, rather than the monkey skins Schiaparelli was so fond of) and ruched silk, bagged peplum pockets and a black crepe de chine dress with a jewelled neckline that had been restored directly from the archive sketches.

The guest list was astonishing: the Carlas Bruni and Sozzani, M. Lacroix flitting between conversations with Azzedine Alaïa and Jean Paul Gaultier (whose own couture show is on Wednesday), and milliner Stephen Jones were all in attendance, while creative director and backer of the newly resurrected Schiaparelli house Farida Khelfa visibly purred over the opulent and estimable showing of her latest venture.

See all the looks from the Lacroix for Schiaparelli collection here.