It was August 2015 when Vogue Runway launched. Vogue itself has over 120 years on our little corner of the website, so we won’t dwell too long on this double-digit milestone, but we didn’t want to ignore it either. Vogue Runway is an institution, after all, the place to go online (and on our app!) to get up-to-the-second fashion show coverage and designer news, as well as an archive of well over a million runway photos going back to 2000 and beyond. To celebrate our birthday, we asked some of our fashion insider friends to weigh in on the decade just passed, by highlighting the shows that have mattered to them the most. For the favorite collections of curator Alexandre Samson, stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, sound director Michel Gaubert, and many others, read on.
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Stylist
I’m an Adidas addict: I think the classic Adidas Originals track pants are one of the chicest things in the world. The traficotage between Gucci, with the stripes and the logo, and Adidas…I was obsessed! It’s the thing that’s driven me craziest in the entire world!
You’re stunned by the beauty. It’s unimaginable. The cut, the proportions, like children’s cut-out dresses. The shoulders are like flat clothes, with sleeves crossed, but they’re actually worn by someone, Everything—the hair, the makeup, is totally sublime. I could have stayed to see the show three times, but it happened only once.
Total panache! It was in the gardens of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, in summer—the colors, the combinations, the hats. Only one word comes to mind: panache!
I found that there was personal style; each woman was different. I love that kind of thing. There was something special about it, cela avait du chien! Chicissimo!
It’s the street. I love the street. The street drives me crazy. Jogging, gold, the mix. It’s everything I love.
Alexandre Samson, Fashion Curator and Historian, Palais Galliera
A powerful new vision in menswear—abstract yet sensual, with martial, protective volumes transformed with lightness into poetry.
As Phoebe Philo wanted the clothes to speak for themselves, this collection marked the acme of her creative vision for Celine—an intellectually powerful and supremely elegant proposition, where femininity was elevated to its pinnacle, notably through the collaboration with the Yves Klein Estate and the artist’s signature blue print of the female form.
A masterpiece of tailoring that also questioned the very structure of menswear—displacing collars to unexpected places, including the crotch. A taboo-breaking collection in terms of male body objectification. The mockery it provoked was, in fact, a clear indication of how far we still are from gendered body equality in society.
With her debut collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri became the first woman to take the helm at Christian Dior almost exactly 70 years after the house’s history-breaking “New Look.” Her new take on femininity expressed the urgent need for women’s rights through a simple white printed T-shirt that soon became a symbol.
In an era where collaborations were the dominant trend, Dries Van Noten—rather than merely referencing Christian Lacroix—invited the former couturier to co-create one of the most relevant, sumptuous, and exciting partnerships of the decade.
Edward Buchanan, Artistic Director
The majority of designers with enormous budgets continually attempt to buy cool and influence… Martine Rose is just cool and could give two shits about influence. The best baggies in the game on look 29. Outstanding!
Because this was her last show, and it was fucking monumental… She made you fall in love with the idea of dressing up again and I don’t mean x the red carpet… Dressing for the streets.
This outing was so under-appreciated…Shayne and his team respected the codes by turning them upside down and ripping them apart. Shayne is an enormous and singular creative. Period.
It was one of the most beautiful and sensitive presentations that I have seen to date. The clothing was so thoughtful and poetic. When Jun Takahashi is telling a story I am always listening and watching. He’s legendary.
The suede moccasins, the heather gray embroidered cashmere, the jacquards, the embroidered exit numbers on each look…. This show was a masterclass in chic, and I never owned one piece. WTF Stefano??
Michel Gaubert, Sound Director
Karl Lagerfeld was always fascinated by Latin America and its culture. Going to Cuba to for a cruise show was the ultimate dream and I had the joy of working with over 100 local musicians for the show and party.
New York Fashion Week at its best, America seen by Raf Simons. Sterling Ruby, Andy Warhol, the movie Safe, the popcorn on the floor like wall-to-wall carpeting, Laura Dern, Kyle MacLachlan, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Pangea on the soundtrack—and more popcorn.
Maria Grazia Chiuri presented her Dior pre-fall 2023 at the Gate of Indi , highlighting her long-time collaboration with the Chanakya School of Craft and their amazing savoir faire. How incredible was that moment at sunset when Sheila Chandra’s “Speaking in Tongues” opened the show? I also teamed up with Oliver Coates who composed and performed the music and we featured Anuradha Pal on tabla and other Indian musicians; it was a musical conversation between east and west that remains dear in my heart.
It was tropical glamour, in Willy’s own words, very sensual and swaggering, with a symbolic and very emotional enactment in support of the ACLU, set to a poignant version of “California Dreaming” by Jose Feliciano, at the beginning. Then came color as an act of rebellion, highlighting how beautiful people are when they are free. Willy is a very seductive man who does seductive fashion without ever forgetting who he is and what he stands for. He is precious.
I always love Chitose Abe’s work for Sacai. This time the show was set in the frame of an imaginary house built in the center of Paris and the theme was loosely based on James Dean, which translated into a cool hybridization of Americana and Japanese savoir faire that no one else can do. Chitose’s shows make me want to wear everything right away and we always enjoy making the music together, as we also mix all kind of things that do not make sense on paper but become logical once you hear them, like the time we mixed James Brown and Kratfwerk together.
Ashley Brokaw, Casting Director
I just loved this one. It all came together perfectly with the hair and makeup and styling. History and the future. Stella Tennant in that show was just so larger than life.
The location and vibe of this show were electric. Outside in New York City under the N and Q trains with neon and the Chinese lantern lighting. Such an original fashion moment.
This show marked a big shift. After Covid and the lockdown shows, this was such a breath of fresh air.
The venue in Palm Springs was incredible and Nicolas Ghesquière always shines at his Louis Vuitton destination shows. He really knows how to tell a story.
There was so much that could have gone wrong: We were outside in Paris, the walk was long up a steep incline, the shoes were high, the surface was uneven, but it came off flawlessly. Alaïa always gives the goosebump moments.
The collection that kicked off the Miu Miu frenzy. I loved this show.
Ib Kamara, Creative Director of Off-White
Lunar delivery—this show will always be special to me because it was my first Off-White show. I was so proud of the collection and Naomi Campbell closing was such a special moment that I will always cherish and remember.
This show will show up in many top five lists, I’m sure. The impact it had speaks for itself but for me it represented the best of fashion: the drama, the creation of new worlds. It was just perfect.
I picked this because it was Virginie’s last. Her era at Chanel will always hold a special place in my heart; it’s a timeless brand and her creative direction was beautiful.
Martine Rose represents the best of London style. This show grabbed my attention so fiercely. I’ve loved watching her become such a fashion icon over the last decade.
Designing for Tom Ford’s own brand is a challenge not many could live up to, but Haider Ackermann is the exception. He delivered such a timeless, iconic collection.
Lulu Kennedy, Founder of Fashion East
The Kim Jones Supreme x LV collection was a true seminal fashion moment where streetwear and luxury collided. I was sat opposite Yoon, James Jebbia, and Virgil [Abloh]; everyone was vibing, Honey Dijon’s house soundtrack was pumping crazy loud as the first model exited, and it was just straight up: OK, wow major! Super fresh and clever! Kim [Jones] of course managed to make it look fun and effortless as ever.
The vision and force of this show was something else. The runway backdrop was a film speaking to borders and migration, soundtracked by Crystallmess, and closing with a live moment with Lancey Foux which had everyone up and dancing. You could see every garment in your own and your friends’ future wardrobes.
This was Craig’s first solo show after graduating Fashion East and expectation was peak. The date fell only weeks after the shocking death of Professor Louise Wilson who had taught Craig, and his show felt like the most pure, and achingly beautiful, tribute. Everyone was in tears.
Of all the fab Asai shows we did together, I’m choosing this as my top one! The way he played with ladylike Britishness, with class, with models holding a literal silver spoon in their mouths was so elegant. And the way each look had so many textile techniques—it was like being bombarded by talent. Love.
The Martine Rose experience was in full force here. The setting was an indoor market in Tottenham, a beloved place for the local Latin American community. Who else does that? Models snaked through the market’s narrow aisles, allowing us a real up-close look at their tiepins, triple waist jeans, and new shades of dressy satin shirts, all worn with Nikes. Always a little off, always sensational.
Richard Haines, Artist
One of my favorite collections. I’m partial because I collaborated with Dries on the prints—spent a week in Antwerp working into the theme of dance and ballet. It was thrilling to work with one of my favorite designers and see my drawing become such beautiful clothes.
TBH, I would have killed to see this collection. The power of design to transform is the essence of this show. If there was ever a moment when it was possible to step into a Brassaï photo, this was it. The decay, the depravity….
This felt like a pivotal collection for Pierpaolo Piccioli. Starting with the ostrich feather hats that moved like sea creatures, the painterly mixes of color (comparable to YSL in the ’70s), the modern shapes. Breathtaking! I was so inspired I ran to Maison du Pastel and purchased colors to match the collection and spent days drawing. (PPP eventually purchased some of the drawings!)
This collection reminds me of the influence of Surrealism in design from the late ’30s—and the pending collapse of the West. And here we are again with Jonathan Anderson’s Surrealism, and another collapse. I’ll never get over those balloon shoes.
A fashion show in a field of lavender in the south of France. The clothes were so French and unfussy, and the scent unforgettable.
Amanda Murray, Stylist
This collection is stamped into my memory, a masterclass in color and everything I love about Dries. It was then I started calling him Papa Dries, because it felt like he deserved nothing less than reverence.
I knew it was the beginning of the end when I saw it. I was like, oh she’s leaving. The energy in the clothes was palpable and resolute. It was like leaving your lover for the last time, impeccably dressed in a sickening tuxedo coat with lapels sharp enough to cut glass… but I’m also carrying a blanket, for emotional support. I bought the blanket. Phoebe gets women.
This collection felt quintessentially Jonathan. I remember thinking, how does he know exactly what I want to wear? It was thoughtful, and completely unbothered by trends. Loewe was still a bit niche then, but it was clear he was the one to watch.
I miss this era of Miu Miu, this collection is still the woman I want to be, she lives in my head. It’s feminine, chaotic, and full of the whimsy we look to Miuccia for. I bought the Love Magazine issue with The Muppets dressed in this collection, it’s still a prized possession.
My favorite collection from Francesco Risso’s tenure. I think of it often. The colors felt like summer realized, aspirational, but not out of reach. And the flip-flops were radical but real, perfect grounding to all that beauty.
Dick Page, Makeup Artist
When I got to the makeup and hair test, Phoebe had been scribbling on model polaroids with colored pen, and one of them was blue on the eyes. We decided to play with that in the form of broad blue paint strokes over the eyelids and then a flat red lip. Ultimately some girls had both blue eyes and red lips, some just the eye look and some just the lip, but most of the girls in the show had no color at all, so the contrast told the story.
This was Michael Kors’s 40th anniversary spectacular, with the models walking down 45th Street in Manhattan’s theater district. Very Michael! Extra New York! Chic polished evening makeup, a smoky anthracite eye and radiant skin. It was the most fabulous street party I’ve ever been to.
This was a beautifully poetic show. Simon was inspired by traditional Santons de Provence figurines, so I gave all the girls the freshest flushed cheek and dewy eyes to suit the romance of the collection.
There was something slouchy and punky in Maria’s collection, with her characteristic sustainable/upcycled energy burning through it. I cut a fan brush up with nail scissors and did a freehand “feather painted eye” on a lot of the models. It was quite spontaneous, looked cool, and worked with the clothes.
Not strictly a show, but a photographic portfolio of just 10 looks, each one unique with a distinct makeup character (“Moth” eyebrows and binchotan smudged eyes on Sora Choi!), so focused and so much fun.
Evanie Frausto, Editorial Hairstylist
I feel like the hair and makeup came together with the clothes so beautifully. I loved the shapes they created on the models, the cinched waists and the gorgeous curves. The fabrics were incredible too, with so many textures. The transparency really highlighted nipples and merkins in such a striking way.
This collection was so beautiful, full of classic staples. Every look was so good. The proportions were amazing. I love all the cropped pieces and that iconic micro mini skirt. It is so major—just classic, smart, chic, and a little sexy.
The Bella Hadid moment was truly iconic. The fact that they made the dress on the spot with no rehearsal was incredible. I was with her right after, and she told me there really was no rehearsal. She came out naked, they made it live, and it turned out so perfect.
I really loved the play on structure, the way they integrated flowers into the garments was amazing. And the shoes were everything to me—those Daisy Duck heels and balloon shoes were incredible.
The set was insane, this microclimate with models walking through blizzard winds. Seeing the clothes move like that was so cool. And the trash bags were everything.
Alexander Fury, Journalist
Probably the most obvious choice—I’m guessing everyone has chosen this, just about—but not an incorrect one. This show was an expression of beauty, of creative vision, of technical ingenuity and the magic of storytelling in cloth that are all quintessentially John Galliano. A show for the history books, and we all wait with bated breath to see what Mr. Galliano will do next.
I knew there had to be a Balenciaga show by Demna. It was a toss-up between this and his first haute couture, but this first shout, the phenomenal re-setting of an aesthetic, won through. I loved the couture attitude cut into the clothes, the curving silhouette of skirts and the grandeur of opera capes translated to parkas and Perfectos. A portent of upheaval to come.
The world calls Azzedine Alaïa a genius: I was lucky enough to call him a friend. This was a phenomenal show demonstrating his absolute mastery of silhouette and alchemy with materials— leather that ended up like silk, chiffon with the tension of steel. It was a privilege to witness, especially Naomi opening and closing, like a goddess with a leather-bound chignon.
This felt like a historic moment: the first collection co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, literally crashing their aesthetics into one another in an unprecedented creative collaboration in the industry. Staged digitally during COVID, it remains one of the best-choreographed online fashion shows I have ever seen—a compelling vision, of intriguing clothes.
An utterly personal one. Sitting at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, watching this Pierpaolo Piccioli couture collection swim past, was a pinch-me moment. It’s one of those times when I realize how phenomenally lucky I am to be able to see fashion shows for a living.