Balmain

A large portrait of the late Pierre Balmain surveys the scene at his eponymous shop in the middle of the Triangle d'Or. What would he have made of the clothes around him? Long gone are the afternoon dresses with perfectly positioned waists, full skirts and trapezoidal necklines.

While the clothes are still astonishingly expensive and exquisitely finished, the racks are these days lined with bondage trousers, studded jackets and animal print drainpipes. There hasn't been such a good display of grungy, punk glamour since Kensington Market closed its doors.