Wednesday 15 February 2012

"All The World's A Stage"

The.Fashion.Catwalk. Three words adored by all fashion lovers.

There are aspects of designers collections that you do not fully appreciate with out the creative freedom of the catwalk show. For me, the fashion show is a wonderfully inspiring expression of the creativity that can be seen through out the fashion industry. We see the designers creative journey come to a theatrical end in the production of the fashion show.

The fashion show allows the designer to communicate their exact intentions and ideas, emphasising the 'look' and feel of a collection. It allows them to expand and push the boundaries of their innovations, creating something that is much more theatrical, 3D, more than just the clothing.



Etienne Russo, head of Villa Eugenie and fashion show director, is the name you need to know if you want to create a fantastical, out of this world fashion show. I was blown away when I learnt of just how many of the top fashion houses use his skills of production; Chanel, Lanvin, Dries Van Noten, Mui Mui, Celine, Hugo Boss, Dior ...
His work for Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, is perhaps most recognisable. The production included 265 tonnes of frozen snow which was imported from Northern Sweden, where 35 ice sculptures were employed to create the design of an iceberg.









Lagerfeld's inspiration for this extravagant show was the growing importance of climate change and global warming. The use of fur and heavy knit in his collection is only emphasised by the fashion show, communicating clearly his intentions and desires.
'Global warming is the issue of our times. Fashion has to address it.'

I find the fashion catwalk is an amazing mix of communication skills, combining the creative use of lighting, music, set and theatrical effects, and is something I find very interesting.












 The lighting used in the catwalk show is undoubtedly very important. As the sole purpose of the fashion show is to communicate and present the designers collection, it is essential that the clothing is complimented in the best possible way for the audience, taking into consideration fabric, textures and colouring.
The lighting, such as colour and spotlight, used in fashion can create incredible expression, feeling and emotion to the clothing, emphasising the designers intention for the audience in how they first view the collection.
The sheer volume of the production with a fashion show is astounding, it seems that anything is possible with the dream and desire to achieve it. Here is a short video time lapse of the production of the Luis Vuitton set up of the Spring/Summer runway that I found very interesting.


For me, the fashion show is the epitome of the communication of glamour, style, design, art, theatre ... Visually stunning, creating emotion and desire into the audience with the glance of the first model walking tall, to the beat of a seductive rhythm ... only on the runway.




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