“No words”. The only comment uttered by Linda Loppa, ex-Antwerp Academy director and mentor to Haider Ackermann, to describe her thoughts on the spectacle of Haider’s Fall Winter 2010 show on Saturday morning. From one who has witnessed the evolution of the Antwerp Six, Martin Margiela and many other talented Academy graduates, such a proclamation holds serious gravity. And Linda was not the only one left speechless.

This season Haider wrote a new chapter in his elegant narrative of texture and shade – continuing the sleek, tight silhouette he has developed in the last several seasons, with a strict balance of comfort and restraint. The concept was built upon a winding, slow curve – at times rendered feminine and frilled in bunched sash belts, or sharp and slicing like arrows down jackets and around the neck.

Working in a muted palette of mocha, black and icy grey tones, the leather leggings and jackets of his signature uniform became a solid foundation for a collection of daring experimentation with laser-cut leather lace, mink and silk satin. He built up dramatic pointed collars that curled around the neck and extended down the torso, some tucking into wide zipped and buckled waistbelts. At the hips, flares of leather kicked out on the trim of jackets and gilets, to further define the hourglass figure, while cocoon coats did the opposite – shrouding the body in sinous wools that continued at times into form-fitting knitted hoods. Tailoring returned with a glamourous sheen, with a fuller cropped pant and open blazers that sliced across the bust.

Moments of quiet luxury permeated the show, with a subtle wedge of oiled ostrich peaking from the side of a suede waistcoat, the rolling folds of mink lining one example of the peplum collared jackets, and the showstopping finale, a leather-lace evening dress, shredded and trailing along the floor.

What Haider achieved was a truly chic display of the aggressive turned feminine and the reverse. The simple idea of leather as lace illustrated this, and the curves and corners of his shards of fabric wound magically around the body in a new organic way. As his stellar career continues to rise with international following and celebrity acclaim, we congratulate Haider on another incredible show.