For any canny fashion observer, there are only a handful of shows that can be relied upon to influence the subtle (or occasionally seismic) shifts in fashion. Balenciaga designed by wonder-boy Nicolas Ghesquiere is one such collection that holds that accolade. Every six months fashion editors (as well as the design teams of most high street stores) anticipate avidly what he might produce next. Love them or loathe them, you can blame Ghesquiere for the sudden popularity of jodhpurs, which are now available at Gap. Ditto the extreme footwear inspired by his vertiginous “Lego-brick” sandals or even the return of the blazer. So what can we hope for next summer?

Admittedly the initial signs weren’t promising. The monastic, concrete show space where the label holds its intimate presentations was covered in a gaudy, chintzy carpet. Was Ghesquiere plundering hitherto hidden Baroque depths? Apparently so as Vivaldi’s Concerto in G ricocheted through the audience and the show began.

And here was the signalling of a return to print. Not, you understand, a whispered, sneeze-and-you-might-miss-it sort of statement but floral screen-prints in a blaze of glorious colour. If you are about to buy into current style diktats of block colours and gloom and doom shades, you may wish to have a rethink.

Reworking the Balenciaga heritage, Ghesquiere overlaid computer generated images of Pop Art florals on to corseted dresses with slight tulip shape skirts and capped shoulders. Odes to purple check, splashy pink, blues, yellows and orange also appeared on cocoon-shaped coats, narrow-cut cape-jackets and miniskirts. The new style was evident from the tunics that had on their shoulders ruffle details made from intricately pleated or scrunched-up layers of fabric. Lace-up fastenings on bodices as well as up trouser legs were also key. Here was the simplicity or even austerity of traditional couture shapes but finished off with a Pop Art bent and the effect was both refreshingly and surprisingly modern.

If you thought last season’s stiletto was sublime verging on the ridiculous, then I don’t know what you would make of laced-up open-toe sandals with punched out brogue detailing finished in lethal, knife-like, metal points. Sharp enough, one imagines, that you’d be accused of grievous bodily harm when accidentally stepping on anyone’s toe.

Ghesquiere’s current collection, which is inspired by “global street-wear” and is a pastiche of easy separates, is easy enough to dissect for any style-lover on a limited budget because it has been so deftly reinterpreted by the high street. Next season’s offering, which is largely made up of one-off pieces and complicated techniques, is not so easily accessible.

Was the high of Balenciaga equalled by the usually conceptual vision of the Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf? Aside from their fondness for endless pranks – to date these have included a perfume launched in a bottle that didn’t open, a catwalk show that took place in the dark and a collection that featured upside-down clothes – they can usually be depended upon for their skilled approach to tailoring. So yesterday’s show proved something of a disappointment.

It all started well enough: slim-fitting wide-leg trousers and neatly proportioned tops and simple cut shifts with three-quarter length sleeves; and the simple details, a few rose corsages and pom-pom belts that fastened at the waist, were also a playful touch. But who was going to wear the saccharine pink, slinky floor-length dress that had a white, patent ruffle collar? Surely a more fitting outfit for a mime artist than your average prêt-a-porter client.

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