It’s part of my job to watch the runway collections at New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks. Once for Spring and once for Fall, in February and September respectively. There are hundreds of shows and I can watch them all online from the comfort of our home, pinning inspirational looks along the way. I’ve been watching designer fashion shows for many years, but browsing them online is a more recent thing. I used to rely heavily on magazines for show coverage before the internet made it so easy.
For me the runway collections have become a twice yearly snippet of a fashion movie that never ends. Or perhaps more of a living encyclopedia of fashion that I can consult for inspiration again and again. My thinking about a particular fashion season, and the way I interpret the current trends, starts with my analysis of these shows. The way I evolve my own style, add and subtract from my wardrobe, advise and style my clients, predict trends, and assess whether a look is dated or fashion forward, starts with what I see at these shows.
Runway shows are full of expensive and over the top clothing displayed on one very rare body type, but I don’t view them as unattainable style. Quite the opposite. The way the designers showcase new silhouettes, pull together colour combinations, combine items to create all sorts of new proportions that look fresh, is information that inspires me to dress all ages and body types. It’s not that I want to recreate the outfit from head to toe. Not at all. It’s that I want to recreate a similar mood with proportions, colours and item pairings, my way and for my clients their way. When you break down the items of a runway outfit and swap out some of the pieces for more mainstream ones, it often becomes completely wearable.
Do you ever watch designer shows to gather inspiration? If so, how have the shows influenced your style? Or do you find the runway collections unrelatable, unattainable, uninspiring and overwhelming?
