How does a fashion show take place?

The fashion shows
Several times a year, fashion creators and designers big and small show their latest collections to the whole world. Paris, London, Milan and New York become fashion capitals for a week, and the center of media attention. . If fashion shows are an exclusive event for professionals such as press and buyers, the resonance on the mass media is enormous, especially now with the massive presence of fashion on the web, and so everyone can discover, almost in real time, what the proposals are. seasonal designers.

To find out more: see all the images of a show

What is a fashion show for?

A fashion show is the presentation of the new seasonal collection of a designer or a brand. It serves precisely to show buyers, shop owners and those who will resell garments around the world, and to the international specialized press, the new proposals and new models. It is also an event that keeps the attention on a brand alive, which in this way can show itself to the public in a spectacular way.

Find out: how fashion shows dictate seasonal trends

What you need to know about Fashion Week

Fashion and its creators live in a constant projection into the future, because they have to prepare the collections for the following seasons well in advance. Thus, in September-October the collections of the following spring summer are presented, as far as women's fashion is concerned, and in February-March the collections of the following autumn winter parade.

Deepening: the video of a fashion show

The 4 major fashion cities therefore organize their fashion weeks, set at specific periods, which remain more or less the same from one year to the next. The order is always the same: New York, London, Milan, Paris. Even if in recent years there have been new markets and therefore new fashion weeks to keep an eye on and put on the calendar, such as Rio Fashion Week de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The fashion weeks never happen at the same time, but follow one another, to allow journalists and customers from all over the world to attend all the fashion shows.

Prêt-à-porter and Haute Couture (or Haute Couture)

To understand the difference between the two types of fashion shows, it is necessary to know that pret-à-porter is a collection that follows standard rules and mass production rules, and that concerns a fashion, as the word itself says, ready to wear. It is therefore focused on more or less practical garments, designed for everyday style, without neglecting exclusivity and refinement. High fashion, on the other hand, creates original and unique clothes, which are often real unique pieces. , conceived more as a showcase for the stylist than as elements to be mass-produced.

Special shows: discover all the shows of a Fashion Week

In Paris, only about thirty fashion houses offer high fashion collections, twice a year, while those that deal with prêt-à-porter are very numerous! The haute couture shows, real works of art , are reserved for a very limited clientele and are mainly used by brands to preserve a luxury image throughout the world. The prêt-à-porter shows are characterized by larger collections, which are subsequently distributed in stores, and are aimed at a wider clientele.

How a fashion show takes place?

Generally, fashion shows are organized in special locations, and the models parade on a catwalk. But, more and more often, creators choose unusual places (industrial warehouses or other places far from the world of fashion), historical (museums) or atypical. The decoration and the magic of the setting play an important role in the success of the show.

Find out more: all the shows of a Haute Couture

Usually, a parade starts late (about half an hour). When it starts, it starts a real show. Great importance is given to music and lighting. The models parade on stage and present the models. Eventually, all the models return to the stage, followed by the stylist who greets the room. After the show, accredited press and VIPs have the chance to meet the designer backstage.

The audience of the fashion shows

A fashion show is a worldly event in its own right. Stars, actresses, businessmen, journalists ... Everyone gets together to watch the show, but also to show off! The arrangement is organized according to precise rules: from the most important personality sitting in the front row (the stars of the moment, the great fashion editors) to the simple guests relegated to the back rows. Without forgetting the photographers and cameramen, placed in front of the catwalk.