Fashion Week: Are The Theatrics Giving?
Fashion has become a kind of entertainment, but often that part can dilute the essence of it.
(Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)
When Bella Hadid broke the internet by having a dress spray painted on her body live during the 2022 Coperni fashion show, it left us in awe and questioning “ how can this be topped?” So far, in all three fashion weeks there has been an increase of designers trying to imitate similar drama by blending theatrical elements during their performances.
The problem with this is that the clothes are overlooked and don’t even have the chance to be appreciated just for obscure entertainment.
Designers of Coperni – Sebatian Meyer and Arnaud Villant – return to put on a perplexing futuristic performance for their Fall 2023 collection in Paris. One of their models was accompanied by a dog-like robot that used its mouth to pull the models cover-up unveiling of the model’s mini dress underneath.
The youthful brand claimed to get their inspiration from the 17th century fable “The Wolf and the Lamb” with a modern twist and it’s impressive that the show was simultaneously odd and underwhelming. The spacious stage and high beam spotlight created a great opportunity for so much drama to be celebrated, but the slow movements and rather short height of the cyborg dog in comparison to the model made it all look awkward. It’s almost hilarious that everyone had their phones pulled out ready to record, for a moment that was nothing but disappointing. The showcase looked forced and many consumers weren’t appealing.
“Well that was anticlimactic” replies @chelsea_ciara on Instagram.
“Now they’re begging for a viral moment. Where’s the fashion” states @matheusfracari
The theatrics can be executed properly (as the brand did with Hadid), the trick is to have theatrics compliment the clothing, not the other way around. And Sunnei did exactly that.
The Italian fashion brand had their models crowd surf as they reached the end of the runway while wearing funky and colorful looks from their Fall-Winter collection. Having their guests interact hands-on is so genius and refreshing. Their version of a fashion show was a balanced mix of chaos that matched the vibe of the fashionable pieces they were promoting. The show has since been praised and consumers believe that the vibrant brand successfully blew everyone away at this year’s Paris Fashion Week.
@hoodmidcenturymodern says “Y’all won the whole Fashion Week”.
As the fashion world constantly calls for creativity, the expectations of fashion shows will only get more unhinged. Fashion loves Instagram-worthy moments and sometimes it seems like designers prioritize a quick-pic rather than the art of their clothing.