Clemence Remy moved to the French city of Nantes in 2020 and enrolled her two girls in the local state school. The teachers were good, but she grew so exasperated by rolling staff strikes that she eventually put them in a private school.

Those concerns about state schools have helped fuel some of France's most violent protests in decades. They began last ‌month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.

France's public schools have long been held up as a crucible of the republican ideal, a place where children from rich and poor families alike can receive a top-notch education imbued with the values of "liberty, equality and fraternity."

But performance has been slipping for years.

I'm not saying I plan to trade in my jeans and t-shirts, but some of the skirts at Chanel's Spring/Summer 2027 women's ready-to-wear show were very pretty indeed.

Check out our gallery of the best style, celebrities and backstage scenes from Paris Fashion Week.