Mugler’s invitation was a snap to carry, with a triangle conveniently carved out of it like the handle of a cardboard tote bag. At the venue, the reason for the triangle became clear. There were three runways, opened onto by three doorways, where three models entered at the same time. For creative director Nicola Formichetti, the triangle represented Western menswear, Eastern pop culture, and the sci-fi-avatar virtual world. He said in the show notes it reflected “the ability to become someone else in a digital world.”

On first glance of the clothes, this explanation made a lot of sense. There was a lot of traditional suiting, with the kind of tailoring details we have come to expect from the men’s line, co-designed by Romain Kremer, who also mixed in military uniforming and touches of street. This led to a crescendo of neon flashes and toxic brights, the kind of colors you only see on digital screens, hyperreal shades that clashed sublimely with the mundane khakis. The central triangle motif started as a tone-on-tone panel at the nape of suit collars, and slowly slid down the backs of the jackets until it exploded into a huge oversized toxic green tribal symbol. When pink, the triangle is of course also a symbol of the gay movement, and there were plenty of pink triangles here.

However, the real trinity at work was Kremer, Formichetti, and the spirit of Thierry Mugler. With this collection, their individual tastes fused, and we could see the future of Mugler.