From Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid returning to the runway at Jacquemus to Balenciaga’s mesmerising haute couture show that broke the internet and Pyer Moss’s history-making debut on the FHCM calendar, which celebrated Black invention—this year was full of explosive, creative brilliance and the kind of joyous spectacles that we’re all in dire need of.
In case you missed any, here are the biggest fashion moments you need to know from this summer, so far.
1. Dior Men artistic director Kim Jones collaborated with rapper Travis Scott on a sublime collection
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With a knack for collaborations that are bang on the zeitgeist, Kim Jones joined forces with gen-Z idol Travis Scott for SS22. Inspired by Scott’s personal style (clock the Cactus Jack motif from the rapper’s self-founded record label across Dior pieces) and the maison’s signature house codes, expect to see modern-day icons across the globe wearing these looks in the coming months.
2. Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid returned to the runway for a star-studded Jacquemus show
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For his first real-life spectacle since the start of the pandemic, French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus called upon his supermodel friends to walk his runway show—titled La Montagne—in a film studio on the outskirts of Paris. Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Adut Akech, Mona Tougaard and Jill Kortleve, among others, wore his skin-baring, see-now-buy-now looks inspired by skiwear and lingerie.
3. Marc Jacobs staged a triumphant comeback in New York
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Pre-pandemic, Marc Jacobs’ shows were consistently a New York Fashion Week highlight, and so after a season absent from the official calendar, his off-schedule return marked a pivotal fashion moment. The result? A colourful and voluminous ode to happiness, inspiration and creativity. And, of course, a cast of new-gen supers such as Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber and Imaan Hammam, as well as a cameo from Miley Cyrus.
4. Supermodel Karen Elson starred in the gloriously uplifting Lightning Strikes: The Moschino Musical
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For Moschino’s Resort 2022 and menswear SS22, creative director Jeremy Scott called upon his friend and longtime muse, Karen Elson, to star in and collaborate on the music for a short film. The fun and utterly glamorous part-singing, part-dancing showcase is topped off with an electrifying original track from the British supermodel-turned-songstress called Lightning Strikes.
5. Pieter Mulier brought the heat for his Alaïa debut
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Since the announcement of Pieter Mulier’s appointment at Alaïa, there’s been speculation of whether he would be able to live up to the standard set by its legendary founder, the late Azzedine Alaïa, who sadly passed away in 2017. Thankfully, the Belgian-born creative director delivered beyond expectations with a collection that not only paid tribute to the hallowed house codes, but also brought a new energy that exuded pure, unadulterated sensual glamour.
6. Balenciaga broke the internet with its first haute couture show in 53 years
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For its first haute couture offering since 1968, Georgian fashion designer Demna Gvasalia went back to the maison’s roots and hosted a phenomenal show at the Balenciaga salon at 10 Avenue Georges V, Paris. And, to put it mildly, the fashion world went wild as feeds on every social media platform were flooded with looks and clips reposted from the few lucky editors who were present. Standout moments? Too many to choose from, but the hybrid ballgown and tailored trouser look or the dreamy tangerine skirt suit paired with an oversized Philip Treacy lampshade hat spring to mind.
7. Sacai designer Chitose Abe remixed Jean Paul Gaultier’s greatest looks
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As the first guest designer at Jean Paul Gaultier (since Gaultier officially stepped down in January 2020), Chitose Abe of Sacai took on the legacy of the Parisian powerhouse for AW21 haute couture. The Japanese designer reinterpreted iconic codes such as sailor tops, pinstripes and corsets with her own signature touches—from hand-gathered pleats and deconstructed trench coats to hybrid constructed pieces.
8. Pyer Moss celebrated Black invention with its inaugural couture collection
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Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond made history as the first Black designer invited by France’s Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to present on the official schedule. Shown at the historically significant estate of the US’s first female Black self-made millionaire Madam CJ Walker, the Pyer Moss collection was an extravagantly surreal ode to Black inventors of the past.
9. Tomo Koizumi brought his organza confections to Kyoto
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New-gen couturier Tomo Koizumi took Japan’s fashion pack to Kyoto’s iconic Nijō Castle for his annual collection showcase. And the clothes? “I wanted to challenge myself and make it more conceptual,” the designer told Vogue. This time, he opted to use organza made out of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles spray painted in his signature bubblegum palette.
10. Saint Laurent presented its macabre men’s show inside a living work of art
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For his SS22 menswear collection show space, creative director Anthony Vaccarello commissioned American artist Doug Aitken to create an art installation that interacts with the landscape of Venice in concomitance with the Biennale of Architecture. During the show itself, models strutted through the prismatic, mirrored construction in Victorian-era, gothic-inspired tailoring that oozed rock’n’roll sex appeal.
11. Valentino showed a breathtaking couture display of dreams at the Gaggiandre, Venice
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Set in the iconic shipbuilding yard of Venice, Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli delivered yet another magnificent haute couture collection that paid tribute to the intricacies of fine art. Guests were asked to wear white as they were serenaded by British singer Cosima, while models sashayed in looks of vibrant colour and volume that were nothing short of delightful.
12. Fendi delivered a cinematic short by director Luca Guadagnino and narrated by Kate Moss
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Creative director Kim Jones wanted to transport his audience to Rome via a film for his second couture collection for Fendi. Brought to life by Luca Guadagnino, director of Call Me By Your Name (2017), the short featured 1990s supermodels Amber Valletta, Christy Turlington, Paulina Porizkova and Kate Moss wearing intricately embroidered gowns in shades of taupe, rose and cream.
Editor
Alex KesslerCredit
Lead Image: Jacquemus via Instagram, 2nd of July 2021
