If you've not yet heard of Haider Ackermann, we'd like to introduce you.

We're not sure what it is about all these Belgian (or in Ackermann's case, Belgian-trained) designers and their avant-garde, achingly chic, dark, drapey, urban goth thing, but we rather like it.

Conversely, M.E. wasn't so sure about the consumptive pallor of the models who walked his S/S 2010 collection in Paris, but the clothes themselves beautifully blended military, draped, utility and slinky sportswear references in a subtle and coherent collection that appeared absolutely timeless.

The show, entitled 'A Passage to India' (we love literary designers) also had hints of exotic colour in the form of saffron yellow, but it was the inky navys, dusty, sheeny greys and silken black that really propelled the pieces along. Harem style trousers also nodded to the title, but like another Parisian collection we saw, this travel note avoided pastiche by a very wide margin indeed.