First it took hold at New York Fashion Week. Black feathers spilling out the front of a beige car coat at Brandon Maxwell. An Altuzarra knit two-piece that made its wearer look like they had been tarred and feathered, but beautifully rather than as some heinous ancient punishment. A strapless gown that appeared cloud-like through rows and rows of delicate white plumes at Prabal Gurung.

The London shows were in on the game too — the cascading, multi-colored plumage of a Roksanda evening gown, or feral, feather-stuffed Converse high tops at Oscar Ouyang. In Paris , designers moved with the synchronization of a swallow murmuration. Pierpaolo Piccoli’s proposition for Balenciaga rested on feather-work: There was the full, plume-covered maxi skirt paired with a casual T-shirt, since worn in

See Full Page