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 — From Fendi's dominatrix-inspired collection to Balenciaga's apocalyptic spectacle of a show, another fashion month has drawn to a close. Here, BoF picks the top ten shows of the Autumn/Winter 2020 season.
1. Fendi — designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, MFW
Fendi Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Silvia Venturini Fendi injected her own personality into the family business in a way that was subtle but striking. By delicately balancing “pleasure” and “pain,” her collection was a tapestry of contrasts.
ADVERTISEMENT
2. Loewe — designed by Jonathan Anderson, PFW
Loewe Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
The show was so odd but so seductive that it clarified the genius of Jonathan Anderson at Loewe. He claimed he’d never really embraced the brand’s umbilical Spanish cord until this season, when he dived into the archive to explore old garments from the 40s and 50s.
3. Alexander McQueen — designed by Sarah Burton, PFW
Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Sarah Burton's ability to winkle glorious oddities out of the swamp of the past means her McQueen collections are never less than dream fodder. The collection confirmed that the power of McQueen continues to lie in the heady suggestion of such otherness.
4. Marc Jacobs — designed by Marc Jacobs, NYFW
Marc Jacobs Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
ADVERTISEMENT
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Scaling the heights of American fashion. That’s exactly where Marc Jacobs was headed once again. The presentation was evocative of a past when America was unquestionably Number One, with New York the most dazzling stone in its diadem.
5. Balenciaga — designed by Demna Gvasalia, PFW
Balenciaga Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Balenciaga's signatures were paraded under a low-hung ceiling showing boiling heavens, rushing floods, a temporarily reassuring vision of Planet Earth and then… total eclipse. It was perversely thrilling to see Demna Gvasalia use his powerful fashion platform to stage such a takedown of all that man has wrought.
6. JW Anderson — designed by Jonathan Anderson, LFW
JW Anderson Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
The dialogue between restraint and excess is a major JW Anderson signature. It was all here, plain as the frosting on a cake. As usual, exaggeration was his friend. While many of his extraordinary ensembles made no sense whatsoever, they looked fabulous.
7. Kenzo — designed by Felipe Oliveira Baptista, PFW
ADVERTISEMENT
Kenzo Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
In his debut, Felipe Oliveira Baptista beautifully evoked the shapes, the colours and the art of Kenzo Takada. The new arrival did a wonderful job of capturing the joy of Kenzo through the 70s and 80s, when his shows were spectacular colourful circuses.
8. Sacai — designed by Chitose Abe, PFW
Sacai Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
A collaboration with NASA was only one of Sacai’s new adventures in the sci-fi zone. Chitose Abe said there was also an experiment in the Fourth Dimension... the way the clothes moved through time. Never mind the quantum physics, it was beautiful.
9. Moncler Genius — MFW
Moncler Genius Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Remo Ruffini's plan to keep Moncler relevant by constantly reimagining the brand with a cast of guest designers created a show that was gigantic and grandiose. What stood out was JW Anderson's non-binary vision as well as Alyx's garment-dyed urban wear.
10. Paco Rabanne — designed by Julien Dossena, PFW
Paco Rabanne Autumn/Winter 2020 | Source: INDIGITAL.TV
[ View CollectionOpens in new window ]
Julien Dossena’s Paco Rabanne evolved a great deal this season, doing away with all the futuristic hardness of the past to embrace frothy romance and a sense of radical craft. It was a bit McQueen at times, but one of the most enchanting visions of the season.
Related Articles:
[ In Paris, the Pleasure of the ApocalypseOpens in new window ]
From where aspirational customers are spending to Kering’s challenges and Richemont’s fashion revival, BoF’s editor-in-chief shares key takeaways from conversations with industry insiders in London, Milan and Paris.
BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks and Imran Amed, BoF founder and editor-in-chief, look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Seán McGirr’s debut at Alexander McQueen to Chemena Kamali’s first collection for Chloé.
Anthony Vaccarello staged a surprise show to launch a collection of gorgeously languid men’s tailoring, writes Tim Blanks.
BoF’s editors pick the best shows of the Autumn/Winter 2024 season.