For a certain rung of the world, sneakers and t-shirts might be covetable, but they aren’t the rarest thing within reach. The ultimate grail might be an emerald green sequin Valentino cape, a rose-print silk-chiffon gown trimmed outrageously with white ostrich feathers dipped in rose pink and leaf green, or the iconic Chanel skirt suit in “painted organza imprisoning a sheet of embroidered aluminum,” per the collection notes.

That is just a sampling of the items that appeared on the runways for Paris Couture’s Fall 2018 season, which wrapped this week. It’s a fascinating barometer of fashion, taste, the economy, and the luxury industry’s values—and it’s also worth watching because it poses an aesthetic riddle: what does fashion look like without streetwear?