Was it the flame of hell? A cult's symbol? The Tower of Babel?
Editors sitting in the front row for the Rick Owens runway show were certain of one thing: the gargantuan five-legged pyramid that Owens set ablaze suddenly got really, really hot.
Flames ascended meters into the air as smoke created clouds that rose well above the Palais de Tokyo venue.
When the show began, not much explanation was given for the inferno that kept on burning. But it didn't seem to matter, given the reputation for the unfathomable the talented Californian designer has garnered over the years.
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Insectoid figures, fashioned from sculptural pieces of garments such as sleeves tied around the body, filed by with cube-shaped antennae.
The stripes of a blackened American flag fluttered off the back of a model in a long black skirt.
Loose filaments that dangled down from straps on supple mini-dresses created fluidity and added to the nice organic feel that many of the designs possessed.
The only element that seemed to hark to the fire theme were some dystopian goddess looks: models dressed in shredded geometric column dresses walking solemnly down stone steps holding burning torches.
In short, it was a typically creative display from Owens.