2024 Fashion Week: Bringing Back Theatricality in Fashion Shows
For a fashion lover, February is like Christmas, where Fashion Week comes in full swing. With fashion week technically being over a multitude of weeks in the month of February, a large range of designers from around the world share their latest collections for 2024. As viewers it can be the most exciting time in the fashion world, allowing us to see the upcoming trends, intricate designs, and extravagant runway shows. In places like London, Milan, Paris, or New York, many celebrities, industry workers, and fashion fans alike can attend events and shows. Everyone can share in the joy of fashion, appreciate the brands/designers' hard work and creativity, and get excited for the upcoming trends of the year.
Throughout fashion month, there can be a range of trends for 2024, from spring and summer trends to the fall and winter ones. For this article in particular, I’ll breakdown trends I’ve seen from the multitude of Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections to give an overarching synopsis of some possible trends for the entirety of 2024. As I cannot break down every single runway show or latest collection, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite designers' collections. Just to note, I chose about six runway shows that all had similar or repeating trends to discuss!
One. Dramatic Silhouettes
Dramatic silhouettes were in a multitude of new collections, mostly around the hips and shoulder areas. These large silhouettes emphasize broad shoulders and thinner torsos. This can be seen in the Moncler Grenoble F/W 24 and Jacquemus S/S24 shows. Emphasis on larger hips can be seen in the John Galliano for Margiela S/S24 line, as well as Marc Jacobs S/S24 show. We can look forward to more dramatic silhouettes in fashion, enhancing specific parts of the body or designs that make certain body parts smaller.
Two. Slinky Dresses / Silhouettes
A popular trend in the spring/summertime collections is slinky silhouettes, specifically for dresses and skirts. In collections like Jacquemus S/S 24, Area S/S24, or AVAVAV’s S/S24, we see floor length dresses in softer and light fabrics. This will most likely stay a popular trend in runway and retail for years to come. A flowing, soft dress never goes out of style, and these designers are making sure it’s here to stay this fashion month.
Three. Textures
Another trend I saw in a multitude of collections is an interesting use of texture, to add dimension to a normally simple article of clothing. For Moncler Grenoble (F/W 24), it was to add multiple seams on pants to create a puffer texture to an otherwise simple pant. For Margiela (S/S 24), it was adding texture through fabric choice. In a few looks, lace adds dimension to a dress, rather than the use of print/pattern. For other pieces, the use of sheer/shimmery fabrics highlights layers for the silhouette. Through some of these looks, we see some interesting fabric choices for 2024, rather than relying on prints or patterns for dimensional looks.
Four. Flashy Embellishments
Last, but certainly not least, was the inclusion of flashy and eye-catching embellishments that seemed to take over runways this fashion month. For some collections, it was an alternative vibe – like AVAVAV (SS 24) using a large amount of safety pins. On the opposite end, Marc Jacobs (SS 24) channeled a 60/70s inspired aesthetic – using flashy sequins and colorful gems. Hopefully, through these collections, we will see embellishments in all forms, from grunge clothing to the bright and bubbly clothing, and everything in between.
Not only do the designs themselves share the trend predictions for 2024 seasons, but the runway shows have some prominent trends. Something worth noting is the way theatricality is more popular during runway shows, where the clothes are not the only spectacle. Dramatizing the runway show is a great way to create buzz for the designers and their brands, as well as a long-lasting impact can happen to viewers. We have seen theatrical shows by designers like Vivenne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, where they have created a spectacle to go along with their creations, which makes the show more immersive for viewers. We have seen theatrically comes and goes for runway shows, and it has returned in a variety of new ways.
One. Interesting Hairstyles
One way theatricality has come back is through creating in-depth looks in models appearances, not just the clothing they wear. For example, Marc Jacobs’s models were styled with the inspiration of the 1960s, with large beehive hairstyles, keeping in tune with the collection inspiration of 1960s paper dolls. Margiela’s models were styled with the inspiration of the underground scene of Paris, with matted hair mixed with Victorian-French curls.
Two. Intricate Makeup
Now, we know that hair can change an appearance, but makeup was another method used to enhance the models, and to showcase a more in depth understanding of said collections. For Marc Jacobs and Margiela, they had two opposing views on “doll-like” makeup. Marc Jacobs stuck with the 60s, almost Twiggy, inspired black eyeliner and large lashes, while Margiela chose to use a porcelain doll-like style. The brand AVAVAV decided to have their models in black, grunge makeup, where it looked like it was dripping down the models face, to showcase the collection's inspiration: stress and chaos of the fashion industry.
Three. Creative Embellishments
Another way theatricality was used is through creative and intricate embellishments on the clothing. This is a great way to share the inspiration behind the collection or to leave viewers wanting to know more. Something about embellishments and this “larger than life” concept lets a brand leave its mark. A brand that does this well is Area, and its S/S 24 collection really showed that. The inspiration was about surrealism and opening our eyes to new formats of self-expressions, which was taken pretty literally. Area’s collection showcased clothing covered in googly eyes, along with googly eyes accessories for the models to wear. A simpler take on creative embellishments comes from Jacquemus, with large feather-like embellishments or stiff, structured silhouettes for dresses.
Four. Creative Environments
Lastly, a great way to create a spectacle for the runway shows was through a show’s environment. Moncler Grenoble (F/W 24) had models walk through the snowy mountains of St.Moritz, showcasing their apres-ski inspired collection. Margiela’s S/S 24 show was held Under the Pont d'Alexandre III after dark, to go along with the inspiration of the nitty-gritty underground life of Paris.
In conclusion, throughout fashion week (or month), we o witness the creative expertise of the top designers in the industry. We see how a brand’s style changes and grows, and how trends are set for the upcoming year. Within the collections seen during this exciting time, we also see how previous trends are altered for a new season. This year’s fashion month started off on a high, bringing an aspect of drama back into fashion events. This allows us, as viewers, to feel eager about the upcoming shows and new collections in the works. Luckily, this fashion month has been thrilling to see so far, and we still have more to go.
Article by Gabrielle Ramos, Contributing Editor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Nicolas Harris, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine
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