PARIS, France — Where do showgirls, French madames and officers of the French Legion meet? In Guillaume Henry's imagination, that's where, only to end up on the Nina Ricci catwalk. The unlikely ingredients coalesced into a charming if utterly costume-y collection that looked very feminine — in a grown-up/ingénue kind of way — and very French. Both characters are integral to the Nina Ricci identity and Henry has always stressed this.

He mixed the masculine and the feminine in equal parts, keeping volumes loose and the color palette light. There were a ton of feathers, quite a lot officer jackets complete with tasseled epaulettes and then capes, high waisted tailored trousers and a bevvy of golden buttons. A few pieces worked, others — the peak-shouldered capes were a bit de trop — did not.

All in all, though it was all very madame, there was a certain freshness to the mix, even a jolliness. The experiment worked mainly at the level of image: shown on a circular catwalk under a tent, the looks were circus-like in a good way. The desirability factor, and hence the commercial appeal, of all this is entirely another story.