If there is any event that can promise an explosion of glamour, creativity, and charisma, it is a fashion show. The world of fashion has always fascinated many people for a variety of reasons. The immense creativity and talent showcased by designers attract many of us, so much so that even people who have no qualms about standing in a long queue with a special person are seen waiting outside the venue of these shows for hours! However, these events are far from just being a source of entertainment. This night of fun and revelry has a ritualistic side to it that speaks volumes about our society and all of us as people living in it. The purpose of this collection is to take an in-depth look at some of the aspects that make fashion shows a remarkable part of our culture. In this exploration, we will traverse different aspects of fashion, be it their implications for the study and understanding of the cultures that we live in, the messages that designers wish to pass down to us through their collections, or even about the events that inspire people to take risks. For now, let us open our minds and hearts, and immerse ourselves in the journey of a lifetime – the unforgettable world of fashion!
The History of Fashion Shows
Fashion is a cyclical industry and, therefore, present-day events can only be fully understood in a historical light. Although in ancient times it was not highly regarded, the concept of fashion has long been present in Western culture to such an extent that today it is considered an art form. The use of fashion to reflect the style and possible status of the person who wears it is often linked to cultural movements and communications. It is in this light that it is interesting to observe the historical relevance of fashion in the West, especially with regard to the phenomenon of the fashion show, which has received great attention thanks to the public enthusiasm it generates. From the 19th century onwards, Paris began to become a center of influence in the art world. The design of the first boutiques was perhaps the most significant development of the time. As avant-garde artists and the fashion elite collaborated, fashion grew along with international modernism and fitted wardrobes. The 1920s to 1960s took this model of selling individual designs and pivoted toward cost-effective, mass-produced clothing. While the fashionable elite certainly wore clothing made to measure to match the sensibilities of the European avant-garde, couture was truly democratized in the 1960s with the advent of prêt-à-porter. Enterprises began to appoint talented, young designers to head their ateliers and draw up brands as the main point of sale for a variety of radically different styles. Clothing store windows were the first step in getting the consumer’s attention. Yet the importance of the fashion show cannot be overlooked in creating a modern, recognizable label or fashion house.
The Significance of Fashion Shows in Modern Society
Fashion shows have unequivocally become associated with the glitz and glamour of the rich and the famous. Along with the opportunity to display breathtaking collections, high fashion is also the mark of societal status. With its opulent lights and dramatic clothing on towering figures, it creates an atmosphere of tension that is nearly electric. Not only is it an opportunity to present new collections season after season, they are also microcosms of societal layers. Each show is filled with little stories, extravaganzas, and dreams; it can be a barometer of the times — from hemlines and gender signs to the real proportion of sizes; it can give us an intimate view of different worlds and mentalities, even though some find that ridiculous or harmful. Presently, fashion shows occur and are reported in the news with as much hype as the presidential election or during the induction of a new Pope. Entire weeks, including lengthy previews, are sacrosanct to the shows. This is for both the media, to give them enough time to snap, print, and shoot all angles of the new lines; and the masses, who look forward to spending nearly every penny of their savings on pricey designer merchandise over the coming months. At seven days with up to 20 shows per day, the city of Milan organizes the largest fashion shows in the world meant for the public. These multimillion-dollar displays of glamour, the clothes, the models, and the patrons are examples of the type of conspicuous consumption that they are created to inspire. The effects of this fashion sensationalism reach all classes. Display windows in the less affluent parts of New York are modes for laying away cheaper items for the impulsive poor. Even some of the children who attend ordinary public high schools in New York are congregating to compare notes on the trendiest clothes when classes end.
Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Fashion Show
Watching a lingerie-clad woman sashaying down a length of catwalk in stilettos sure is a treat for the eyes. But what goes into the making of even such an anticlimactic event as a fashion show? Countless minds and hours, and we might add, other complex work for lives. There are layers upon layers of different people, all waiting to be discovered in between the shimmering silks that set the stage for one night of revealing.
The people behind every fashion show deserve applause for their hard work to put together even one set of garments, let alone over 50 of them. One person doesn’t do it; individuals with dozens of professionals collaborate. They have two months to do so lest they forget. This is their story; this is their song. Here they tell you what makes a fashion show so worth the while. When you gaze at those lithe and svelte figures, stealing your breath away, it’s easy to recognize the artistry. Months ago, designers envisaged these gossamers. Hard to believe, still, there was only the mind of just one person until a while back. The person who’d then race against time to offer cameos till the finale. If you think putting together a collection is easy—bringing heads together, scribbling down sketches, and then leaving luckies and silvery borders to our artisans—think again. These lucky designers who get their shows on the road by squeezing themselves in with other flashy folks will confess it’s hard even for an old veteran.
Designers and Their Creative Process
The highlight of every fashion show is, without a doubt, the designer showcases. Every season, the fresh and creative ideas of the current course student designers give a wonderful overview of what the future will bring to the industry. Their work plays a critical part in determining the show theme and the stage decor. A designer is essentially an ‘author in fabric.’ They spend weeks, if not months, conducting research, bringing their ideas to life, and working with models to put on the best possible show. Inspiration for an exhibition can come from a variety of sources. Some designers are moved by their own experiences or cultural history, while others are influenced by current industry topics. The artistic design process of every designer is unique, and style and design examines the operation of some of them. Designing Clothes As a couturier or designer creates clothes, they are composing a story through the garments. The process of garment collection is non-linear; it develops and evolves, rarely concluding in a straight line. Designers’ intuition and ability to visualize the completed product make them competent to bring their visions into fruition. At least a part of the collection is already sketched on paper or a mannequin in the designer’s head before it is presented on the runway, with its distinct thematic and narrative aspects, as the designer is so candid about not being one concerned with commercial viability. As a consequence, they can construct a collection aesthetic as they see fit and generate garments to match, rearranging designs as the collection evolves. This flexibility requires planning and experience in construction techniques.
Models and Casting
Models play a crucial role in presenting collections by designers to the waiting audience. The selection process for models is called ‘casting.’ Designers and casting agents describe the ‘look’ they are searching for to marketing personnel and all who need to be involved in the show. The qualities required are as varied as the people who will model the new clothing. Selection may be based on physical attributes as diverse as hair color, skin tone, height, weight, gender, and particular and unique features or assets liked by the designer, and even the manner in which the eye color looks on camera. All these selections would be influenced by the brand image and the general ‘look’ or ‘atmosphere’ of the show. In global fashion, casting is increasingly inclusive of many nationalities, ethnic and racial groups, ages, and gender preferences. Models are expected to have emotional fortitude, confidence, and the innate ability to display the designer’s creation to its best advantage. Quite apart from the physical tests they are put through—including costume fittings and practice—a strong professional code is essential. They must be meticulously punctual, respectful, and literate. When required, they act as ‘a blank canvas,’ which facilitates the design as it is used to best advantage. To do this, they must understand what is expected of them, and to do this they need to know about the designer. The presentation of models is in contrast to the ‘perfect’ icons of the silver screen. In the early years, models were often not thought to be very pretty at all. It was ‘not what a person looked like but what they can do’ that mattered.
Hair, Makeup, and Styling
The catwalk may be the main platform for a fashion event, but an important cog in its wheel is the hair, makeup, and styling. It completes the narrative that the designer’s clothes have to offer. Crafted and conceptualized by a brilliant pool of beauty and wellness professionals, this is an art form created by the designer after discussions and suggestions that lead to many changes and errors before the final look is chosen and approved for public viewing. Leading a team of hairstylists, makeup artists, and a stylist, this subsection explores the trials, the effort, and the creativity that help pull it all together. The main event calls for a multitude of looks, from an ultra-fine understated ‘no-makeup’ effect to a bold red that can easily make the models look lackluster. Face masks and bright lip shades are slowly becoming a trend and are popular right now, so more likely than not, it will trend in the spring season. What are the things that a beauty or wellness professional can take into account when working to ensure that they are the ones to add ingredients to the mix? Working against the clock, there are strapless bras, pantyhose, and black socks required to minimize touch-ups after the models slip into the designs. Let’s praise and cheer on the bulls. The look may be the designer’s, but the sweat, focus, and creativity are all about the professionals who snip, dab, and cast that wand. They may be far from the sunlight, but their efforts also fall no less from star status when the models are ready and set to sashay.
The Impact of Social Media on Fashion Shows
Social media has radically revolutionized the dynamics of fashion shows. As a core marketing tool, social media provides an opportunity for designers to speak immediately and directly to the target consumers, bypassing the filter of messy trade. With the direct engagement with the general public and the immediate availability for industry professionals, the introduction of social media platforms and the phenomenon of live-streaming of fashion shows have vividly illustrated the novelty of fashion shows as an example of “eventedness.” By providing an extensive live experience of the shows, fashion brands gave the target consumers a way not only to witness the design works but also to participate and feel part of the event; this helps clients embrace the show in an emotion-led way, as evident in the sea of smartphones filming and snapping each runway exit. Nowadays, going to a fashion show is fundamental to connect with consumers through the media: it is not risk-free, but it is essential. Looking for what consumers are looking for and what consumers will be looking for: it is now the consumers who are demanding.
Social media has thus magnified the phenomena of the diffusion of influence and the increasing fashion-proneness of a new cohort of aspirational fashion consumers who look to influencers for cues about what to desire and, more importantly, what to buy. The role of the fashion influencer expanded to most areas of fashion communication, from traditional print advertisements to the runway. Indeed, collection reviews of fashion week shows from just a few years ago were in large part concerned with the impact of social media on fashion shows and the fact that viewing the show has expanded from a select elite within the industry to a “potential” audience of millions. Today, people look at fashion shows through their social media accounts before they even glance through the actual set of photographs, which makes them even more important than three or four years ago. In essence, the opportunity to survey what the audience’s response has proven more important to many fashionistas than the actual presentations themselves.
