These Glam and Gutsy Fashion Week Looks Are Guaranteed to Make Your Jaw Drop

Halima Aden Gives Tips for Surviving New York Fashion Week

The show must go on!

Fashion is one of the few things that can transport you to another world with something as simple as a piece of fabric or pint-sized embellishment. And in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we could all use a little escapism.

Because while we might be living in an era where sweatpants and pajama sets reign supreme, that doesn’t mean we aren’t looking forward to one day wearing glamourous and over-the-top designs.

If anything, we’re almost repeating history. Following the Spanish flu in 1918, people tossed out their veiled masks and indulged in audacious clothing, like diamond-beaded flapper dresses, flirty fringe creations and other glitzy numbers. 

From the looks of New York Fashion Week’s presentations, it appears that we’re once again entering the Roaring Twenties. This time, with even more daring and electrifying pieces.

But before you plunge into the latest collections, take a walk down (fashion) memory lane.

We’ve rounded up some of the most iconique designs to ever debut during Fashion Week. From Thierry Mugler‘s futuristic runway, in which he created the impressionable bionic fembot, to Moschino’s literal take on a floral dress, relive these OMG moments in our gallery below.

Dream Machine

In the wake of the internet age, Thierry Mugler gave the fashion world a futuristic fantasy. Perfect example: Supermodel Nadja Auermann looked like a bionic fembot in a reflective silver bodysuit made out of metal. Interestingly, the creation was designed in collaboration with aircraft specialist Jean-Pierre Delcros.

Seeing Double

With the appearance of Ming porcelain blended with baroque style, Guo Pei‘s 2019/2020 show was a work of art.

Crown Jewels

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, indeed! Richard Quinn‘s silver sparkly design proved that head-to-toe jewels are always a good idea.

Seeing Double

Severed heads… but make it fashion. Gucci pushed the boundaries for its fall/winter runway in 2018. From the jarring head props to the wild prints and over-the-top layers, this was a show to remember. Of the striking line, Alessandro Michele said, “We are the Dr. Frankenstein of our lives. There’s a clinical clarity about what I am doing. I was thinking of a space that represents the creative act. I wanted to represent the lab I have in my head. It’s physical work, like a surgeon’s.”

Little Black… Bra

Chanel is known for more than its famous tweed jackets and diamond-encrusted brooches. Thirteen years after he helmed the fashion house, Karl Lagerfeld pushed the envelope with the 1996 spring/summer collection, which featured itty-bitty bikinis, bum-baring dresses, muzzle-like accessories and more.

Outside the Box

Dior gave the phrase “out of the box” a new meaning with this daring and dazzling design for its fall/winter runway during the 2019 Haute Couture Fashion Week.

Bouquet Beauty

Forget the bridal gown—because this Moschino number is a sight to see. Gigi Hadid traipsed down the runway in a dress that looked like a literal bouquet of flowers at the spring/summer 2018 show.

Heavenly Body

Guo Pei has mastered the art of creating extravagant and ostentatious designs. For the spring/summer 2017 show, this diamond-embellished gown and equally jewel-adorned headpiece made everyone ooh and aah.

Cross the Line

If there’s one thing Iris Van Herpen knows how to do, it’s steal the show with electrifying and larger-than-life pieces. Case in point? The 2012 fall/winter collection was worthy of a museum display. The designer’s collaborator, Julia Koerner, summed some of the creations best, saying they look like “a second skin on the body.”

Naked Truth

One word: Wow! Jean Paul Gaultier‘s spring/summer 1993 collection lit up the fashion world. Creating the illusion of a naked body, this bedazzled catsuit managed to look both angelic and ethereal.

Mother of Pearl

Thierry Mugler debuted this breathtaking gown in 1995, which gave the illusion of a pearl in an oyster. It was a work of art, quite literally, as it was inspired and named after The Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli. And if it looks familiar, Cardi B dropped jaws at the 2019 Grammys wearing the vintage design.

Floral Fetish

Richard Quinn made a case for bondage face masks for the autumn/winter 2020 collection. The juxtaposition of the daring accessory mixed with the virtuous floral print is just one reason it was a knock-out.

Think Pink

Go big or go home! In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, designers like Claudia Li are giving people an escape from reality with electrifying and unrealistic (in the best way) creations. Case in point? This voluminous pink dress offers a dramatic neck bow, over-the-top puffed sleeves and layers of ruffles—dreamy!

Out-of-This-World

Rick Owens perfectly blended grunge, edge and style for the autumn/winter 2019 collection, in which models traipsed down the runway in futuristic-looking ensembles. The designer summed up his line perfectly, saying, “I felt like I needed some grim, determined glamour.”

Got It in the Bag

Moschino always brings electricity to the catwalk with deliciously kitschy and quirky designs. This cheeky shopping bag dress was no different.

Making Waves

Iris Van Herpen’s spring/summer 2017 show was chock-full of glitzy, glamorous and otherwordly pieces. Each design, such as this wave-like dress, deserved to be displayed in a museum.

Less Is More

Sometimes, being risqué means wearing something as simple as a black bustier and matching trousers. Miley Cyrus‘ added leather gloves and zebra-print coat gave this Marc Jacobs design more edge.

Red Hot, Hot, Hot

Only Valentino can make something both sexy and sophisticated all in one. This fiery red gown from the 2020 spring/summer runway was proof.

White-Hot

There’s no denying Tom Ford is the king of subtle, yet striking fashion. The proof was in the pudding during Gucci’s ready-to-wear runway in 1996, in which the designer made it clear that simplicity can be oh-so-sexy.

Sleek and Chic

Since the dawn of time, Richard Quinn has been taking all of the fashion risks. And, this sleek and chic number from the 2018 catwalk during London Fashion Week took it up a notch. 

Pretty in Pearls

John Galliano‘s 1997 runway collection for Dior fused the old with the new. His line was so breathaking at the time, Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, compared him to the Christian Dior saying, “He has the same extraordinary mixture of romanticism, feminism, and modernity.”

Speaking Volumes

 As Mae West once said, “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.” It’s safe to say all eyes will certainly be laser-focused on this larger-than-life Comme des Garçons design, which made its debut for the fall/winter 2020/2021 collection during Paris Fashion Week.

Flower Power

Thom Browne‘s decadent piece featured an explosion of flowers and patterns for the 2020 Menswear spring/summer show. Let’s just say the word “basique” wasn’t part of the designer’s vocabulary when creating this collection.

Little Black Suit

Jason Wu perfectly upgraded a closet staple by adding a fun twist to a black suit. The design, which debuted during New York Fashion Week in 2021, brings the drama with exaggerated silhouettes and playful stitching.

Sugar Rush

Charlotte Olympia brought whimsy and camp to the runway for its 2017 spring/summer presentation. From the delicately placed jewels to the over-the-top strawberry shape, the designer proved style can be both playful and dashing.

A Parade of Flowers

Guo Pei made the fashion world swoon over this lavish design, which gave the illusion that the model was laying on a bed of flowers. Truly a piece of art!

Modern Medicine

Marc Jacobs and Richard Prince joined forces for this ultra-luxurious and unique collection for Louis Vuitton’s 2008 runway. Models sashayed along the catwalk in glossy nurse uniforms and branded face masks—long before they were the norm.

Orange You Glad

When in doubt, go for something bright and bold like this Emilio Pucci number from its fall/winter 2017 runway.

Suited Up

It’s a tale as old as time: Wearing latex clothing is only for the brave. So, when this head-to-toe latex suit graced the Balmain runway in 2020, jaws were dropped. In fact, this lewk was so captivating that Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian both wore a variation of the design.

Royal Blues

Sometimes, all you need is one eye-catching item to steal the show. And that’s exactly what this vibrant blue design by Antonio Ortega Haute Couture did.

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