Runway: The Spectacle of Fashion

Runway: The Spectacle of Fashion

A stunning work on contemporary fashion spectacles, showcasing the most innovative, creative, and artistic high-fashion runway shows of the last twenty years. In recent years, as fashion shows have become a part of our collective imagination and an important part of contemporary culture, blockbuster productions have redefined the runway show as a form of entertainment and creativity on par with the clothes themselves. This book focuses on designers for whom fashion and the mode of presenting it have held equal significance: Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Raf Simons, Thom Browne, and Imitation of Christ, among them. From the performance art spectacles of the first Alexander McQueen collections in the mid-1990s and the high-art concept shows of Hussein Chalayan in the late 1990s to the lavish beauty of Chanel haute couture in 2012, author Alix Browne explores the highest pinnacles of fashion today. <i>Runway</i> gives the reader full access to the theatrical and creative aspects of the production, in both intimate, little-seen runway shows from the pre-Internet era—many of the photographs here have never been published before—as well as major productions with elaborate sets and full-blown narrative. A thrilling, immersive, and inspiring look into the wide-ranging creativity of contemporary fashion, <i>Runway </i>is the most thorough book available on the subject. Featuring the most innovative fashion designers of the last twenty years, this book is a must for lovers of fashion and culture.