Fashion show

A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where designers seek to promote their new fashions. The four major fashion weeks in the world, collectively known as the "Big 4", are those held in New York City, London, Milan, and Paris. Berlin Fashion Week is also of global importance.

In a typical fashion show, models walk the catwalk dressed in the clothing created by the designer. Clothing is illuminated on the catwalk using lighting and special effects. The order in which each model walks out, wearing a specific outfit, is usually planned in accordance with the statement that the designer wants to make about their collection. It is then up to the audience to try to understand what the designer is trying to "say", visually deconstruct each outfit and appreciate the detail and craftsmanship of every piece.

Occasionally, fashion shows take the form of installations, where the models are static, standing or sitting in a constructed environment. A wide range of contemporary designers produce their shows as theatrical productions, with elaborate sets and added elements such as live music or a technological components such as holograms or pre-recorded video backdrops.

The origins of fashion shows remain ambiguous to historians, as there has yet to be a comprehensive study on the subject. One of the designers of this concept, Charles Frederick Worth, gained traction by displaying clothes on actual people instead of mannequins. By the end of the 19th century, "fashion parades" were regularly organized at Paris couture salons. American retailers imported the concept of the fashion show in the early 1900s. The first American fashion show likely took place in 1903 in the New York City store of the Ehrlich Brothers. By 1910, large department stores such as Wanamaker's in Manhattan and Philadelphia were also staging fashion shows. These events showed couture gowns from Paris or the store's copies of them; they aimed to demonstrate the owners' good taste and capture the attention of female shoppers. As the popularity for these formal presentations expanded, it was in 1918 when fashion houses established fixed dates for runway shows to occur. These occurrences took place twice annually, specifically for fashion houses to plan for and promote their lines to foreign buyers. Runway shows were often held in department stores or hotels when they first began. European fashion houses would actively seek out buyers in the United States, specifically in larger cities, by hosting these runway shows.

By the 1920s, retailers across the United States held fashion shows. Often, these shows were theatrical, presented with narratives, and organized around a theme (e.g. Parisian, Chinese, or Russian). These shows enjoyed huge popularity through mid-century, sometimes attracting thousands of customers and gawkers.

In the 1970s and 1980s, American designers began to hold their own fashion shows in private spaces separate from such retailers. In the early 1990s, however, many in the fashion world began to rethink this strategy. Fern Mallis, who was the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America at the time, remembered that following a series of accidents at shows held in small, hazardous venues, the prevailing attitude was, "We love fashion but we don't want to die for it." In response to these shows, the New York shows were centralized in Bryant Park during Fashion Week in late 1993.

Some designers have attempted to modernize the style and presentation of fashion shows by integrating technological advances in experimental ways, such as including pre-recorded digital videos as backdrops. During New York Fashion Week in 2014, designer Ralph Lauren presented his new Polo line for Spring 2015 in a water-screen projection in Manhattan's Central Park. Technological progress has also allowed a broader portion of the fashion industry's followers to experience shows. In 2010, London Fashion Week was the first fashion week to allow viewing of its shows through live streaming. Live streaming of runway shows and mediated shows has now become commonplace.

Tom Ford created a music video with Lady Gaga for his Spring/Summer 2016 women's collection.