Fresh from the streets of Paris Fashion Week, Harriet Cowie explores the rise of high-shine dressing, the designers leading the charge and how to make the look work well beyond after dark.

I happened to be in Paris during fashion week earlier this month, which granted me unfettered access to some of the best-dressed people on earth. From the Marais to Montmartre, women disregarded the weather and put fashion first, stalking over the cobblestones (usually in heels) while photographers clambered over one another for the shot. Plenty of trends jostled for attention in the shows and the street, but the one that kept catching my eye – quite intentionally – was high shine. Not the sparkle of jewels or sequins, but glossy materials like taffeta, satin, silk, and charmeuse. Where once shiny fabrics were designated to evenings out, PFW proved they are now working weekdays, weekends, and overtime. The movement has a catalyst: Reformation’s Olina pant. The muddy-green trousers went viral (helped along by a savvy social media campaign); copies followed fast, and by Euro summer, a tank top and shiny pants were practically a uniform. The OG Reformation version is still available, but a quick internet scout will also turn up countless alternatives in different cuts, colours, patterns and price points.

Picking up on our magpie-like interest in anything that catches the light, the runway shows turned up the wattage. At Celine, Michael Rider sent out shiny black trousers, silk balloon pants, silver tunics and rumpled satin coats thrown over shoulders or tucked under arms. The styling was deliberately slouched and…