Fashion shows are some of the most  influential and anticipated events  

in the industry on an international level. The  collection of course is the purpose of the event,  

but there is much to recognize that  goes into creating each show in order  

for a fashion house to debut a collection every  season. One contribution to bringing a fashion  

show to life is today’s focus: set design, the  atmosphere, scenery, details, special effects,  

color palette, stylistic and architectural  elements all go into creating the experience.

Set designers are posed with the task of  evolving a space into a conceptual affair  

that complements the collection and brings the  audience into the life of the fashion house  

The modern fashion show dates back all the way  back to the 1860s, English fashion designer  

Charles Frederick Worth began to use live models  rather than mannequins to present his creations in  

Paris. This set the precedent of how a runway  or catwalk is defined as a flat platform that  

runs into an auditorium or between sections of an  outdoor seating area, used by models to showcase  

clothing and accessories during a fashion show.  Though the concept is simple in understanding,  

the execution is a radical multi-sensory  event. Set designers go behind the  

inspiration for the collection to translate it  into the visuals in a tangible vivid manner.

In present times, a fashion show has transformed  into an immersive, atmospheric, and theatrical  

presentation that obscures the line between art  and commerce for a moment of pure creativity,  

serving as a bridge to communicate the  collection from the fashion house to the public.

Alexandre de Betak, who has created sets  for Dior, Helmut Lang, and Galliano stated,  

“It’s a very silly thing to think that a  fashion show is a futile, immoral thing.  

Before anything else, it has the  purpose of communicating brands  

that create, that all together are part of an  industry that provides for people in the world.”

So with this background and understanding  of the work of a set designer,  

it is evident that the visuals of the runway  is crucial in showcasing the collection,  

here are the top ten most breathtaking  and boundary-pushing runways.

Let’s begin with Alexander  McQueen Fall/Winter 1999,  

"The Overlook'' sourcing from the 1980 horror film  "The Shining" which was set in the Overlook hotel,  

McQueen showcased beauty in the darkness of ruin  in a Victorian-themed clear snow globe-esque box  

with 25 tons textured snow and planted birches to  give the runway tones of luxurious yet delicate  

beauty. Figure skaters broke the stillness as  models walked on an ice floor in garments of  

the winter theme, featuring a range of icicles  from rock crystals and metals to soft knits and  

luxurious furs. He translated the emotions  of the film into the clothing and atmosphere  

in hand with the theatrics of the show which is  separated into sections. The first introduced  

the nature of fragile visions and as the  runway progresses the pastels begin to darken,  

clothing becomes more structured, and for the  end, the palette is stark white with soft lines.  

The show ended in a snowstorm where a  model adorned with crystal rocks as if  

growing from her skin walks out and the models  look out into the audience through the glass.

Under John Galliano, Christian Dior Spring  1998 haute couture took place at the Palais  

Garnier Opera House in Paris where the  collection was showcased theatrically,  

drawing inspiration from Marchesa Casati and her  fascination with the Ballets Russe through opera  

coats, Art Nouveau prints, and the styling of  accessories. This Italian heiress was known for  

idiosyncratic looks which then were united with  the classic Dior "New Look" in execution. Models  

descend the grand marble stairs as if they  were in an early 20th-century salon or ball  

to the orchestra surrounded by tango dancers  and numerous extras dressed as characters  

from the world's greatest operas. The runway ended  with thousands of pastel-colored tissue paper  

confetti butterflies cascading down  on both the final looks and guests.

When the clock chimed 10 at Louis Vuitton RTW  Fall 2012, steam materialized from the black gates  

of the runway and a false floor uncovered  the train tracks by which a full functional  

one-carriage train pulled into the set.  The train was noted to be hand-built  

from scratch by the Vuitton team. Not only was  an exterior built, but the interior featured  

upholstery and luggage racks in wood paneling.  The models were each accompanied by a porter  

who carried their bags and luggage. The show  was rooted in heritage, the brand's beginnings  

are formed in luggage as well as trunk making.  Elements of the Vuitton luggage history were  

utilized both in the clothing as well as the  set to pay respect to history. Accuracy was  

not the goal, but rather grasping the romantic  notions of the era and the beauty within it.

Looking into the future, for Chanel Fall  2017 READY-TO-WEAR the Grand Palais was  

transformed into a space station with a 35  meters/115 feet high rocket at the center.  

The design was in the classic clean black  and white interpretation of Chanel codes  

with the house's motifs in the details along  with the show's details printed across. The  

collections concept was a nod to the great era of  space exploration found in galaxy-oriented looks  

brought to life by mod silhouettes that models  sported on the platforms surrounding the rocket.  

For the finale, a countdown began and  models surrounded the spaceship on the  

closest platform with smoke expelling out for the  launch as Elton John's 'Rocket Man' began to play.  

The rocket lifted and the rest of the models  walked out to bring the show to a close.

For Fendi FALL 2016 couture the Trevi Fountain of  Rome underwent a 2.4 million dollar restoration to  

become a remarkable stage for the 90th-anniversary  show. The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque  

fountain in the city that is connected to  the fabled past of Rome and one of the most  

well-known fountains in the world. The theme of  the collection was "Legends and Fairy Tales";  

the set contributed to the dreamy and  otherworldly tones of the collection.  

Models walked on a clear glass runway, giving the  illusion of walking on the water of the fountain,  

hence bestowing each a goddess-like look. The  enchanting appeal of the atmosphere added elements  

of grace and whimsy derived from a book of fairy  tales, East of the Sun and West of the Moon,  

illustrated by the Danish artist Kay Nielsen  by which the clothing carries the tones of.

Taking advantage of the digital runway with  endless possibilities, the Maison Margiela Co-Ed  

Collection Spring-Summer 2021 was presented in a  double narrative film that tells the story of the  

collection along with a thriller narrative with  an aim to provoke both intellectual and emotional  

thoughts. The set design plays into the intense  and passionate concept appearing through a home,  

graphics, and bodies of water to convey  the themes of community, family values,  

and generational exchange. The background  is eery to complement the striking tango  

and family drama captured in gothic imagery. Water  splashes in the darkness through movement and  

in the second installment models are submerged  into the water to capture the artistry,  

movement, and classic offering of  deconstruction from the fashion house.

In Spring 2005, Alexander McQueen presented  his collection through a supermodel chess set  

made of light-wearing garments that were  a mix of eighteenth-century silhouettes  

and traditional kimono pieces with embroidery on a  respective side chess set. Each look was stylized  

in the image of a particular chess  piece and the models moved around  

the runway as if they were the piece they  were dressed as in unison with the lighting.  

The concept was derived from the designer's  interests in capturing the image of women,  

women who were seen as game pieces in a  narrative outside of themselves. A mechanical  

voiceover provoked unnerving feelings as it  gave directions to the “players” who moved in  

a centered manner in respect to their two queens,  played by models Gemma Ward and Hana Soukupouva.

At one of the most keenly awaited designer  debuts, Raf Simons garnered a new era  

through Christian Dior Fall Couture 2012.  Simons drew inspiration from the founder’s  

love of flowers as well as the DIOR “Flower Woman”  for the set design in Christian Dior’s residence  

with a series of intimate rooms that were adorned  with flowers from the ceiling to the floor. White  

orchids, pink peonies, royal blue delphiniums,  and multicolored roses blooming in another room.  

Joining together the past to the present for  a new era of the fashion house Simons stated,  

the flowers are "almost a metaphor for  the collection as a whole. I wanted it  

to be linked to the codes of Christian Dior  – but to make it dynamic, modern, energetic.”

In honor of the 10th anniversary of his eponymous  brand, Jacquemus hosted his SPRING/SUMMER 2020  

show by revisiting tradition through a lens of  artistry inspired by legendary artwork with quite  

literal roots. The models in the 65-look unisex  collection walked in the symbolic and captivating  

lavender fields on a Fushia pink carpet stretched  500-meters that paid homage to post-impressionists  

with statements inspired by the pop element  of David Hockney landscapes and Christo  

installations. In an interview  with Vogue, the designer explained,  

"“I wanted it to look like a David Hockney  painting or a Christo installation through  

the fields,” he said. “With lots of  prints. A painting within a painting”

At the World Cup France 1998 before the final  match, a Yves Saint Laurent fashion show was held  

at the Stade de France where 300 models walked,  celebrating Yves Saint Laurent’s forty years  

working in fashion. Production  consisted of 900 backstage hands,  

130 dressers, and 4,000 stadium staff  to organize the fifteen-minute event,  

which was viewed by 1.7 billion international  spectators on live television. The fashion  

show possessed six themes that showcase the  boundless and everlasting range of the designer,  

each with 50 models to talk wearing garments  that the fashion house has offered since 1958  

on a catwalk designed to look like the sky. At  the center was a red YSL logo. The set design  

paid tribute, it was a historical moment  of French culture, sports, and fashion.

As we can see from this range of fashion shows,  the set design goes beyond space, it truly defines  

and creates the experience of a fashion show so  that the creative vision is not just seen, but  

felt and touches the heart in a manner suitable  to the collection. Whether it be subtle and  

minimal or theatrical and extravagant- set  design serves to ensure an immersive experience,  

to transport people even just for a moment  into a world, concept, or emotion. The people  

behind the set aid in defining a moment, their  ideas, creativity, and work make the experience  

what it is seen and felt as. Their abilities  and skills in hand with the creative vision  

of a collection provide the space where the whole  world falls away for one moment of authentic,  

engaging, and inspiring beauty through a lens  of the fashion house that we may look through.

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