Raf Simons and the Heart of Art Raf Simons, in collaboration with Sterling Ruby, autumn/winter 2014, in Paris. Regis Colin/Nowfashion.com Craft! The American flag rolled into soft sculptures framing the runway. Embroidered hands clutching the hem of a jacket. Stripes at the collar, wrists and hem of a tailored coat. And the word "Father" appearing clearly between the splatters of paint. The Raf Simons/Sterling Ruby presentation during the winter 2014 men's shows in Paris got to the heart of art in fashion. That inspiration, grown weary with overuse, became in this exceptional show a true collaboration between the Belgian designer Raf Simons and the Los Angeles artist Sterling Ruby, who have been fast friends for nine years. Together, they showed that fashion does not have to genuflect to art, but can become a work of art in its own right. At the same time, the artist does not have to try to create clothing with meaning, as in the work of the German artist Joseph Beuys, but rather can collaborate and stir his imagination into fashion. Perhaps the most memorable feeling of this colorful and energetic collection was desire. Far from carrying "Art," with a capital A, on their shoulders, the coats, long sweaters over pants and easy sporty pieces were all perfectly wearable. In fact, as long as you can see yourself in a smart coat or a simple top and pants with Jackson Pollock splatters, every single piece was closet ready. Oversize maybe, but not over-the-top. Haider Ackermann, autumn/winter 2014, in Paris. The most striking effect was color - joyous for a winter season, but controlled, appearing as hemline stripes or perhaps a bubble gum pink coat with battered heraldic badges in silver. It all fit well with Pink Floyd on the soundtrack. I was so nervous. I have never done this before," said Mr. Ruby, after the collaborators shared a friendly hug. In many ways it was Mr. Ruby's contribution that made the show sing. Each addition seemed just right in volume and texture while Mr. Simons, who previously used the artist's prints in a collection for Dior, provided the perfectly perceived and tailored canvases. The show was top-of-the-art class. The dreamy gentility of Haider Ackermann's men's wear has an artistic vision of its own. There always seem to be distant echoes of the designer's North African childhood in the colors and textures. Issey Miyake, by Yusuke Takahashi, autumn/winter 2014, in Paris. This season, the look was Byronic - as if early-19th-century Romantics had gathered in the bare stone building to sip mulled wine, wearing sweeping coats and low-crotch pants, their jackets in soft mauve or brown velvet with subtly contrasting lapels. The mix of scarf, tweedy vest and long striped coat was a symphony of different shades. This was only the second men's show that Mr. Ackermann has staged. But in 2010, in a presentation at the Pitti Uomo fashion event in Florence, he took the paintings of Caravaggio as his inspiration. The current selection was less richly violent, but equally artistic. The color exploding at Issey Miyake was as shimmering as the mirrored backdrop and even more dramatic when flame red licked at coal black, as though a volcanic explosion were taking place on the runway. The designer Yusuke Takahashi took his inspiration from what he called backstage "extreme nature," gleaned on a trip to Iceland. He referred in program notes to "landscapes of fire, volcanoes, glaciers, northern lights and the mystery of twilight." Freezing these visions in his mind, he worked them into the structure of the clothes, with ponchos lapped around the body. Colors were applied as an aurora borealis on a purple suit and, in brighter forms, as flames on sporty pieces. The result was bold and imaginative but never arty. Mr. Miyake himself always drew on the majesty of nature and hyper-modern fabrics. Here he has a protégé who has caught the spirit of the house.