world fashion shows
The major fashion capitals of the world may seem a long way from our own high street shopping, but they have far more impact on what we wear than you might realize. Designer collections are shown in September and February. At the September shows, the clothes being modeled are a preview of what will be available for the upcoming Spring/Summer, and the clothes shown in February are a preview of that year’s Fall/Winter collections. These collections are then documented by the fashion press, buyers and stylists, and from here they are first worn by the rich and famous.
After being shown in magazines and newspapers, the styles are adopted by the High Street, so usually within a year of being shown, an item becomes popular with the general public.
There are four major fashion capitals of the world, as well as many smaller shows, the four main shows are:
Paris – Paris is considered the world capital of fashion, the crème de la crème of Haute Couture (tailor-made) and Prêt a Porter (Ready to Wear). Every designer yearns to bring their art and ideas to Paris and the pinnacle is showing off at Haute Couture shows. Paris is home to a variety of high-end brands, from old, established Chanel and Dior to more contemporary Chloe and Celine.
Milan – Milan Fashion Week is all about classic Italian chic glamour. The designers featured here tend to be influenced by classic cuts and styles, but with added Italian sex appeal (and the ubiquitous Italian tan). Think of Dolce Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Versace.
New York – New York tends to showcase all-American ready-to-wear fashion. Never on the cutting edge of design or the most extravagant collections, but always simply elegant New York tends to showcase clean, natural-cut collections that are easy to wear. New York designers are often graduates of the revered Parson School of Art and Design, like Zac Posen and Marc Jacobs.
London – London is known for being ultra cool and progressive some years; or bland and boring other years. Fashion’s Terrible Child John Galliano (inventor of the New Romantic style of the 1980s and current chief designer of Givenchy/Dior) made his first appearance in London, as did the late great Alexander McQueen, who trained as a tailor before studying fashion design. Both Galliano and McQueen studied design at Central Saint Martin’s College in London, whose graduates show their first collections during London Fashion Week, to the expectation of the fashion press.
Other major cities that hold annual fashion shows include Sydney and Melbourne (both hosts of respective Australian Fashion Weeks and, due to time zones in the southern hemisphere, the first to show a season’s collection, nearly a year earlier). of its retail debut in the Northern Hemisphere). Uzbekistan, Mumbai, Shanghai, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Rio de Jainero host events that reflect the personal style of the city.