The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Zoolander's return, Rihanna's golden train and the Balmain x H&M crowd chaos — BoF brings you the 10 key fashion moments that defined the year.
1. Alessandro Michele’s Womenswear Debut (Above)
Iconic Italian house Gucci's decision to appoint Alessandro Michele, the brand's relatively unknown head of accessories, as creative director paid off when he unveiled his first womenswear collection for Autumn/Winter 2015 in Milan in February. The show, which followed on the heels of his well-received menswear debut, won over critics across the industry. With clashing silhouettes, prints and florals, reminiscent of the '70s, Michele assuredly ushered in the new Gucci woman.
2. Zoolander Photobombs Valentino
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Valentino Autumn/Winter 2015 | Source: Indigital
Feelings of shock and delight spread across the front row at Valentino's Autumn/Winter 2015 show when two of the most famous fictional faces in fashion appeared on the catwalk — Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald. The pair, played by actors Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, closed the show to cheering crowds in advance of the 2001 film's sequel due out in 2016. To the soundtrack of The Human League's "Don't You Want Me Baby," they performed the 'Blue Steel' pose backstage with Anna Wintour.
3. Balmain x H&M Collaboration Chaos
H&M Balmain collaboration launch in November | Source: Shutterstock
The eagerly anticipated launch of French fashion brand Balmain's collaboration with high street retailer H&M caused three London stores to shut their doors, due to fears for health and safety when it dropped earlier in November. Customers queued overnight to get their hands on the limited collection, which had made its debut on Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner at a New York runway show a few weeks before.
4. Rihanna’s Met Gala Gown
Rihanna at the Met Gala | Source: Shutterstock
Rihanna's imperial yellow, fur-trimmed train became one of the year's top red carpet moments. In a nod to the 2015 Met Gala's theme of 'China: Through the Looking Glass,' the star wore a one-of-a-kind, hand-embroidered couture gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei, which took two years to create. Such was the spectacle of the dress that it spawned dozens of viral online memes, transforming the dress into an omelette and Sesame Street's Big Bird.
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5. Givenchy’s Public Show in New York
Givenchy Spring/Summer 2016 | Source: Indigital
Setting a new template for increasingly consumer-facing fashion weeks, September saw French house Givenchy open the doors of its Spring/Summer 2015 show to the public at New York Fashion Week — having made the decision to move from Paris earlier in the year. Staged riverside at the city’s Pier 26, the audience included 1,200 members of the general public, with tickets available on a first come, first serve basis. The show was co-curated by the artist Marina Abramovic.
6. Dior Goes to Cannes
Dior Cruise 2016 | Source: Dior
The year of 2015 saw many of fashion's biggest players stage increasingly elaborate Cruise shows in off-piste locations, including Dior, whose Cruise 2016 collection was presented on the French Riviera in May. Staged at Pierre Cardin's otherworldly Bubble Palace, overlooking the sea on the cliffs of Théoule-sur-Mer, the collection — comprised of light fabrics, bright colours and lurex collages — was partly inspired by the building's futuristic '70s architecture, and was one of the last to be designed by creative director Raf Simons.
7. John Galliano’s Long-Awaited Debut
Maison Margiela Spring 2015 couture | Source: Indigital
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Many were unsure what to make of the unusual pairing between disgraced former Dior designer John Galliano and Maison Margiela, a design house whose avant-garde collections often defy explanation. But Galliano's debut collection for Spring Couture 2015 in January — which included elegant black trouser suits, floor-length gowns and deconstructed dresses in what looked like white toile — drew a tight guest list of friends and supporters, including Anna Wintour, Christopher Bailey, Alber Elbaz, Rifat Özbek and Manolo Blahnik. In a show of humility, Galliano refused to appear for a bow at the end of the London show.
8. London Fashion Week Moves to a Car Park
Brewer Street Car Park in London | Source: British Fashion Council
In September, London Fashion Week left Somerset House for Soho's Brewer Street Car Park. The multi-storey hosted 78 designers including Gareth Pugh, Peter Pilotto and Christopher Raeburn during the five-day event. The move was expected to bring buzz back to the neighbourhood, which has had ties with fashion since the Swinging Sixties, when Carnaby Street hosted Mary Quant's boutique.
9. When Caitlyn Jenner Wore Versace
Caitlyn Jenner at the Espy Awards | Source: Getty
When former Olympic gold medallist Bruce Jenner publicly announced his transition as Caitlyn Jenner in Vanity Fair's July issue, the fashion world cheered. Donatella Versace, who contacted the activist to offer to dress her, proceeded to dress Jenner for her first high-profile appearance at the Espy Awards in Los Angeles later that month, where she accepted the Arthur Ashe award for courage, wearing a floor-length custom-made Atelier Versace gown.
10. Alexander Wang Waves Bye-Bye to Balenciaga
Balenziaga Spring/Summer 2016 | Source: Shutterstock
After almost three years at Balenciaga, Alexander Wang’s role as creative director came to an end in October, his final collection presented at Paris Fashion Week in October at the Rue de Sèvres. The telling soundtrack of Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Going Back to Cali’ played as models made their way down the catwalk in a wash of white. For his final bow, Wang raced up and down the front row, twirling, smiling, and taking a few selfies on the way.
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