Top Luxury Runway Moments That Broke Genre Conventions
Image Courtesy: WWD
With Fashion Week wrapping up in all four fashion capitals, New York, London, Milan, and Paris, it’s safe to say there were some haute couture moments that would usually only happen in movies. Let’s look at a few of the best runway moments and concepts that broke the norms of an already avant-garde industry.
Christian Louboutin - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025
Paris Fashion Week took place in September and featured an innovative Louboutin show pioneered by Christian Louboutin in collaboration with acclaimed photographer and director David LaChapelle and choreographer Blanca Li. However, this year, the runway was swapped for an Olympic pool and the models for the French artistic swimming team. Yet, against a sea of blues, a shade of scarlet stood out as the star. The classic red-soled stilettos sported by each swimmer pointed to the ceiling. They gracefully danced in every direction, drawing the crowd’s attention to the main attraction: the Louboutin shoes.
In envisioning the theme of their runway, the three creatives could all agree on one thing: “the shared love of movement.” Embracing a playful and exploratory archetype, Paris saw a one-of-a-kind show never before delivered, crystallized by Mr. Louboutin himself sliding into the pool to close out the show.
Vetements - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025
Dressed in Bridal wear, Anok Yai, an American supermodel dubbed the 2024 model of the year, started her runway lap for the PFW SS25 Vetements show like any other. On her turn back, Yai lifted the front of her dress and broke into an all-out sprint. Stunning the audience in real-time, Yai shifted the dynamic “from elegant bride to defiant bride.” Yai later revealed a noticeable wardrobe malfunction in which her heel catching on the dress prompted her to lose composure. Instead of running with it and risking failure, Yai decided to literally run with it. People quickly labeled her the runaway bride and accredited the designer for his creativity. However, the reality lies in Yai’s quick-thinking skills and industry expertise.
Image Courtesy: StyleCaster
Coperni - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023
Embracing the newer dominating faces of the industry, Coperni employed Bella Hadid at the SS23 Paris Fashion Week with the bold task of entering the runway fully nude except for a g-string. A team of artists then sprayed her body with an airbrush-like paint. The audience soon discovered that the paint was Fabrican, spray-on fabric, and before their eyes, the Fabrican morphed into a slip dress. After 15 minutes, Hadid was strutting the stage, closing out the show. To an outsider, a white midi slip dress on one of the industry’s top models might appear unfitting and bland for a PFW closing, but the Coperni audience had just witnessed textile history.
Image Courtesy: Popular Science
Between technological advances and the world’s topmost creative minds coming together for Fashion Week twice a year, recent fashion has elevated the standard for breaking ground and setting the future up for continued success.
Strike Out,
Writer: Paige McGuinn
Editor: Layne Schulte
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