No one in Paris was expecting something run-of-the-mill for the7 p.m. show set to cap off the first day of Fashion Week in the City of Light. But it's doubtful they were anticipating theater-in-the-round and the appearance of a white horse.

The show was every bit as much performance art as fashion show-not at the expense of actual pieces that you wanted to take off the runway-or, stage?-and wear immediately. Here's our scene-by-scene breakdown, and buyer Raul Becerra's words on this highly creative, critically acclaimed young genius, Simon Jacquemus.

First off, it's important to know that yes, this was an abnormally large event space. Paris has some grand theaters and historic halls, but the show didn't really go down in a spot noted for inherent ambiance. It happened at the Paris Event Center, which is sort of like a sports stadium. Its the same very large place that allowed Kenzo to create that runway rave last season.

You should also know there was no music per se, but the haunting, sort of distracting vibe of single piano keyes struck at random. This was the sound that pelleted the room as a child of about 7 or 8, dressed in a very Jacquemus oversized white shirt with large open cuffs, opened the first scene by pushing a giant ball of red material across the circular open floor.

It was work for him. The ball seemed heavy. It took him about two minutes to clear the circumference. Was it about man's daily struggle with the material world? A child's path into adulthood? Overcoming personal obstacles? None of the above? All of the above?

The lights dimmed for a moment and then came up again, and the models emerged.

They walked in dizzying patterns around and through the circle as the piano notes dropped; they wore white, red, navy and grey in deconstructed, spare warm weather garments.

Crisp white cotton had a starring role-but where the traditional menswear shirt was referenced, it was also broken down. Shirts had one sleeve or were taken apart entirely and refashioned into pleated, folded pieces and then grouped into a garment-like objects with ties and bands.

The shirts were also made into tunic-like pieces that had asymmetrical tucks and colored shapes applied. These were the ones we most wanted to wear right away-especially with the slightly mismatched white oxfords shown with every look (one had a round heel, one had a square heel), especially because it feels so much like spring in Paris right now.

SPACE buyer Raul Becerra was excited by the new silhouettes on offer. " I love how Simon is able to take a known shape and juxtapose it into something fresh and new!"

We all also loved how designer Simon Jacquemus took the runway concept into something new. He appeared midway through the presentation with a white horse and behind him, the boy again- this time dragging a giant red tie. Together they cut the room in half.

It worked like an intermission. A way of separating two acts, but that small boy and his theatrical accessory were too much symbolism to ignore.

The clothes in the second part of the show seemed to play even more with menswear, suiting and uniforms. Grey pinstripe wool was seamed together with white cotton and deep, bright navy seemed an actual reference to seafaring and sailing.

And the piece that Jacquemus chose to put up on his Instagram account in his signature triplicate manner was one that very overtly takes down the idea of a productive white collar man in a traditional shirt and tie.

From the Jacquemus Instagram account, which is its own kind of narrative and drama;
highly recommended.

As a sort of end note, the boy appeared again carrying a small bundle of white cotton, this time trailing two girls wrapped in cotton balls. A somewhat traditional runway finale followed.

There's a certain point in theater, art and fashion when you stop drawing conclusions and guessing at concepts and you just go with it.

Crisp white cotton shirting is having a moment -a really big one, even as we enter the season of dark hues, heavy textiles and knits. By the time spring comes, it's going to be all you'll want to wear.

You may even want to wrap a large ball of it around your body and head into the office or the workroom. Who knows?

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-Laura Cassidy