As the first look passes by the front row, the clack-clack of the pearl-mesh pencil skirt can be heard over the choral music flooding the room. Up next is a pearl-trimmed velvet bustier followed by a pearl-mesh dress, its fringed hemline adding a percussive swing to the soundtrack.

Tamara Ralph’s first solo runway show during Paris Haute Couture Week in July in The Grand Salon of the Shangri-La Hotel plays off elements hard and soft. Rigid crystal frames are set into bodices and offset by luxurious satin and velvet in curve-enhancing column gowns; crystal-covered metal roses create necklaces and bustiers, paired with soft flounces of feathers and pale pastel silks. One minidress plays tough, made from crystal-covered harlequin diamonds held together with more crystals, like a glamorous mesh armour plating.