The Attention-Seeking Fashion Show: What’s the point?

Fashion shows have become one of the biggest highlights of the social calendar. No more do we see the simple runway, with elegant dresses, one show-stopper and a minimalist set. Today it is the convention for every element of the fashion show to be the show-stopper. The attention-seeking fashion show is wildly entertaining but the designs displayed are often unrealistic and are not acceptable to be worn in any setting besides the Met Gala. This raises the question: are fashion shows and the designs presented relevant to the general public?

The International Autumn/Winter fashion weeks took place in February and March of this year. New York Fashion Week took place February 8 – 16, London Fashion Week took place February 16 – 20, Milan Fashion Week took place February 21 – 27 and Paris Fashion Week took place February 27 – March 7. Some of the most popular designers and brands that showcased at the different fashion weeks were Chanel with the set having a Bavarian ski-theme paying tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld’s birth place, Prada having a dark and sinister but romantic theme, Louis Vuitton with a technological 1980’s theme and Burberry with a British cultural theme. Most of the brands had ready to wear clothing lines but some brands produced weird and wacky designs. Here are five examples of these weird and wacky designs seen at recent fashion shows:

This piece designed by the brand Iris van Herpen for their collection titled Shift Souls. Dezeen writes “Iris van Herpen looked to advances in DNA engineering and female forms in mythology when imagining this sculptural couture collection.”

This piece was designed by the brand Viktor & Rolf for their Spring Summer 2019 couture collection. Dezeen writes “Dutch fashion house Viktor & Rolf aimed to show the “expressive power of clothing” in its latest haute couture show, which featured romantic-style dresses with kitsch slogans.”

This piece designed by Sensen Lii for the brand Windowsen was clearly inspired by aliens and monsters.

This piece designed by Kota Okuda drew inspiration from how money controls people, the designer told GARAGE. This is controversial because this could be interpreted that you could put a price on women and that women are a commodity.

This coat designed by Yufei Liu from the Rhode Island School of Design is the manifestation of the over-sized, yet unconventional, coat trend.

I interviewed 8 everyday women from Cape Town asking what their opinion of the past five pieces are and if they would ever wear an outfit/outfits. Here is what they said:

When looking at these weird and wonderful designs, with the correct term being haute couture or high fashion, fashion snobs nod their heads in approval implying a “yes darling, it’s amazing” but when the average person looks at these designs their first response is usually “Okay, but who would wear this to what occasion?”.

Today, fashion shows are not aimed at showcasing clothing available at retail stores. The main focus of many brands are to produce high-end, haute couture and creative fashion pieces not meant to be worn on the streets. Designers use this as an opportunity to showcase their talent, to interpret trends and to draw attention onto their fashion show and brand. Although the main purpose of haute couture pieces are to attract attention a brand’s main goal is to make a profit. No brand is able to operate with solely manufacturing haute couture. The bizarre designs grab the attention of buyers, editors, bloggers, models and celebrities to the brand. It’s the designers hope that a celebrity or model would want to purchase or wear a haute couture piece to wear to an event, most likely the Met Gala, and for editors, bloggers to spread the hype in magazines and online. In turn, the ready to wear clothing, as well as some high fashion pieces, of the brand are advertised and eventually sold.

A fashion show is an art exhibition. The general public often looks at images from fashion week and thinks “What is the point of being dressed like an alien?” but that’s because the fashion world is so exclusive and high-end, designers have not felt the need to explain the reasons behind their designs to the public. Once the purpose of these designs are understood the outlandish outfits make sense. Fashion is not solely about looking good and being on trend, it is also about creativity and art. Most of high couture can be compared to paintings and other art pieces in a museum. The paintings and art are not meant to be bought and hung on the wall of someone’s home. It is meant to attract people to the museum, where they would buy a ticket and admire the paintings and art. This is the same for high couture where it is meant to attract consumers to a brand, where the ready to wear lines can be bought and the high couture fashion pieces can be admired.

Fashion shows are not aimed towards the public. High fashion has become the norm but its purpose has not been explained to the public. The question “Okay, but who would wear this to what occasion?” will be asked until the end of time unless the point of haute couture is explained to the public.