For a few days, Paris once again becomes the center of fashion. The French capital hosts from September 28 to October 6 the Spring-Summer 2027 collections, closing the great international circuit of fashion shows. On many occasions it has been the celebrities who walked or sat in the front row who ended up starring in the most memorable images of a season.
Long before social media turned every arrival at a show into a spectacle, Kate Moss or Lady Gaga already demonstrated the power a celebrity could wield within a Fashion Week. Years later, Rihanna, Zendaya or Kim Kardashian would end up transforming the front row into an extension of the show itself. These are some of the looks we still remember from Paris Fashion Week.
Lady Gaga debuting as a model for Mugler
In March 2011, Lady Gaga turned her appearance at the Mugler show into one of the standout moments of that season. Nicola Formichetti, then the singer’s stylist and newly appointed to the creative direction of the brand, invited her to walk in his female debut. Gaga appeared with huge platforms, sheer garments, and the extreme silhouettes that fit perfectly with her aesthetic of those years.
Lady Gaga at the Mugler show during Paris Fashion Week in 2011.
Kate Moss smoking on the Louis Vuitton runway
That same month Paris left another image hard to forget. Kate Moss closed the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2011-2012 show by Marc Jacobs in black minishorts, a jacket with voluminous sleeves, gloves and high boots. In her hand she held a lit cigarette.
The appearance had even more impact because Moss had almost withdrawn from shows during the previous years. She didn’t need an evening dress or a special stage setup for that final look to end up eclipsing much of what had been seen minutes before.
Kate Moss during the Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week in 2011.
Rihanna and the maternity look that broke all the rules
More than a decade later, Rihanna arrived at the Dior Fall-Winter 2022 show with one of the most talked-about looks of her pregnancy era. She chose a black tulle and lace dress completely sheer over lingerie, accompanied by knee-high boots, jewelry and a leather coat over the shoulders.
Rihanna at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week in 2022.
The choice was part of a sequence of outfits through which the singer decided to show her pregnancy rather than hide it under loose garments. Her Dior arrival ended up becoming one of the images that best summarize that shift in the conversation around maternity fashion.
Zendaya and the pink that ended up defining a Valentino era
Also in March 2022, Zendaya appeared in Valentino dressed head-to-toe in pink. The three-piece suit, adorned with floral appliqués and accompanied by a coat in the same shade, foreshadowed what would be seen on the runway a few minutes later: a collection built almost entirely around pink and black.
Zendaya in a total pink Valentino look at Paris Fashion Week in 2022.
Pierpaolo Piccioli bautizó aquel tono como Pink PP, desarrollado junto al Pantone Color Institute, y acabaría convirtiéndolo en uno de los códigos más reconocibles de su etapa en la maison.
Bella Hadid and the dress that was created in front of the audience
Bella Hadid in Coperni during the Spring-Summer 2023 show.
Few moments in recent times better represent the new viral era of Fashion Weeks than Bella Hadid at Coperni Spring-Summer 2023. The model walked the runway in underwear as a team began spraying a material developed by Fabrican onto her body, which, upon contact with the skin, transformed into fabric. Then the white dress was completed and fitted directly onto her.
Cher closing the Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week at 76
Just a few days earlier, another unexpected appearance had managed to lift the audience from their seats. Cher closed Balmain’s Spring-Summer 2023 show alongside Olivier Rousteing in a fitted jumpsuit with pronounced shoulders and huge platforms. She was 76 years old at the time.
Cher closing Balmain’s show at Paris Fashion Week.
Her presence was enough to turn the show’s finale into one of the most talked-about moments of that Paris Fashion Week. And, although these looks come from very different eras and styles, they all share one thing: they managed to go beyond the runway itself and become images that are still today associated with the recent history of fashion.
