The Most Iconic Runway Seems to be From the Final 20 Years

For 20 years, Who What Wear has been watching and reporting on the ways in which vogue adjustments in actual time. To have a good time our 20th anniversary, we’re wanting again at among the runway moments that didn’t simply mirror their time however helped outline it. We did some critical digging to trace down and purchase the long-lasting runway items you’re about to see, then introduced them again to life on this nostalgic shoot. From Nicolas Ghesquière’s early Balenciaga to Phoebe Philo’s Celine, Alessandro Michele’s Gucci, and Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta, these are the collections that, even after 20 years, we’re nonetheless speaking about at the moment, and we will’t wait to stroll you thru them.
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Left Styling: Balenciaga fall/winter 2006 hat, sourced by Aralda Vintage; Balenciaga fall/winter 2006 jacket and skirt, sourced by ReSee; Falke tights; Gianvito Rossi sneakers; Cartier earrings and watch; Portolano gloves; Right Styling: Prada spring/summer time 2007 turban, accessible at The Archive x Yana; Prada spring/summer time 2007 high; Gucci onesie; Van Cleef & Arpels earrings and rings; Aquazzura sneakers)
Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2006 by Nicolas Ghesquière
More than 20 years later, this Nicolas Ghesquière assortment for Balenciaga nonetheless feels remarkably fashionable. Instead of merely re-creating Cristóbal Balenciaga’s iconic designs, Ghesquière studied the home’s archives and warped its signature designs into one thing fairly new, taking part in with proportions by way of exaggerated hats, peplums, and jackets. Long earlier than Balenciaga turned synonymous with movie star dressing and popular culture, Ghesquière’s model was the uniform of the style insider, making the home a favourite among the many trade’s most esteemed dressers.
Prada Spring/Summer 2007 by Miuccia Prada
This assortment is a quintessential instance of Miuccia Prada taking one thing conventional and making it really feel fully new. She performed with off-kilter proportions and surprising heat fall colours for spring and, most memorably, styled almost each look with a silk turban that felt vaguely ’40s but inconceivable to position in any explicit period. The result’s a set immediately recognizable for its styling alone, a lot in order that Marc Jacobs just lately referenced it in his spring 2027 present notes.
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(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Left Styling: Christian Dior spring/summer time 2008 costume, sourced by The Vintage Project; Van Cleef & Arpels earrings; Gianvito Rossi sneakers; Right Styling: Louis Vuitton spring/summer time 2013 costume and sneakers, sourced by Into Archive; Bvlgari earrings and ring)
Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2008 by John Galliano
For spring 2008, John Galliano appeared again on the signatures he had developed all through his first decade at Dior. After a 12 months of big Sixtieth-anniversary celebrations for the home, he pulled again on the spectacle and as an alternative revisited the prints, silhouettes, and concepts that had come to outline his tenure. The consequence looks like a greatest-hits assortment in the absolute best means, with seems to be that also really feel extremely enjoyable at the moment. It additionally had huge movie star enchantment, with items worn by everybody from Eva Mendes and Amy Adams to Miranda Kerr and Goldie Hawn.
Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2013 by Marc Jacobs
This Marc Jacobs assortment for Louis Vuitton proves a runway present can change into as iconic as the garments themselves. The fashions rode escalators onto the runway in pairs, wearing almost similar seems to be. He additionally remodeled the home’s traditional Damier test—which was, till this second, greatest recognized from LV baggage and purses—right into a recognizable ready-to-wear print. This assortment gained such traction that Kristen Stewart famously wore the oversize checkerboard romper to the Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere, basically turning into a strolling Louis Vuitton advert with out a single LV emblem in sight.
(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Left Styling: Saint Laurent fall/winter 2013 costume, sourced by Albright LA; Saint Laurent shirt and boots; Wolford tights; Cartier necklace and bracelet; Right Styling: Gucci spring/summer time 2016 costume; Bvlgari earrings and rings)
Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2013 by Hedi Slimane
For his second womenswear assortment at Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane switched issues up and went to California for inspiration. After a comparatively traditional and anticipated YSL debut, he pivoted towards California grunge, sending out fishnet tights, biker boots, plaid shirts, and baby- clothes. At the time, critics had been irked by how “bizarre” and unpolished it felt for a luxurious runway, however Slimane was quietly creating the last word cool-girl uniform: grunge, punk, and the beginnings of the indie-sleaze aesthetic.
Gucci Spring/Summer 2016 by Alessandro Michele
This assortment wasn’t Alessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci, but it surely was the second his imaginative and prescient for the home actually crystallized and outlined a whole vogue aesthetic for the subsequent few years. He fully modified the concept of who the Gucci lady was. Where Tom Ford’s Gucci was “horny” and all about tight suiting, sheer blouses, and plunging necklines, Michele’s was eccentric, eclectic, and wildly maximalist. The glasses, loafers, pussy bows, florals, embroidery, and classic styling turned so recognizable that being a “Gucci lady” turned an identification in its personal proper.
(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Left Styling: Celine spring/summer time 2017 costume, sourced by Tab Vintage; Falke tights; Celine boots; Van Cleef & Arpels earrings; Right Styling: Prada fall/winter 2018 costume; Prada fall/winter 2018 heels, sourced by Aralda Vintage; Van Cleef & Arpels necklace)
Celine Spring/Summer 2017 by Phoebe Philo
Phoebe Philo’s spring 2017 Celine assortment was an ideal instance of her potential to make on a regular basis dressing really feel fully new. Boxy tailoring, flowing clothes, daring pops of shade, mismatched sneakers, and surprising cutouts got here collectively on this assortment that felt each sensible and progressive. It was traditional Philo.
Prada Fall/Winter 2018 by Miuccia Prada
Miuccia Prada’s fall 2018 assortment took a few of her favourite concepts, like nylon, utilitarian dressing, and sporty items, and pushed them into one thing that felt futuristic and a bit of dystopian. There had been padded coats, neon accents, rubber boots, and loads of the black nylon that had change into so synonymous with Prada. Somehow, all of it felt each sensible and unusual, which is strictly what made it so good. And allow us to not neglect in regards to the iconic flame heels…
(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Right Styling: Alexander McQueen fall/winter 2019 swimsuit and jewellery, accessible at The Archive x Yana; Manolo Blahnik sneakers; Middle Styling: Bottega Veneta fall/winter 2020 costume and sneakers; Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, rings, and bracelet; Right Styling: Miu Miu spring/summer time 2022 sweater, high, skirt, and sneakers; Bvlgari earrings and rings)
Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2019 by Sarah Burton
Sarah Burton’s fall 2019 assortment for Alexander McQueen was a deeply private tackle Northern England, mixing British tailoring with references to punk, the Brontës, and the area’s iconic rose. The mixture resulted in a single cohesive planet that felt romantic, rebellious, and completely McQueen. The rose turned the gathering’s defining motif, which is strictly why we featured this look.
Bottega Veneta Fall/Winter 2020 by Daniel Lee
This was Daniel Lee’s third assortment for Bottega Veneta, which was additionally when the “Bottega” look actually took off. At the time, Instagram vogue was all about flashy logos and recognizable branding, however Lee made Bottega immediately identifiable with out placing a emblem on the whole lot. The oversize clutch, square-toe sneakers, padded woven luggage, and chain-detailed mesh pumps turned so recognizable that you could possibly spot them from throughout the room. This was the second “New Bottega” turned a full-blown vogue phenomenon.
Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2022 by Miuccia Prada
Miu Miu’s micro miniskirt mainly broke the web. The tiny skirts, full with uncooked hemlines and uncovered pocket lining, had been copied in all places and shortly turned one of many greatest It objects of the early 2020s. These skirts confirmed up on copious celebrities, journal covers, and editorials nearly in a single day, from Nicole Kidman’s Vanity Fair cowl to Hailey Bieber and Emma Corrin, who starred within the marketing campaign.
(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
(Image credit score: Logan Mock; Left Styling: Versace spring/summer time 2026 shirt, T-shirt, and skirt; Bvlgari earrings, bracelets, and rings; Right Styling: Gucci spring/summer time 2026 coat, bag, and sneakers; Khaite x Oliver Peoples sun shades; Bvlgari earrings, bracelet, and rings)
Versace Spring/Summer 2026 by Dario Vitale
Dario Vitale’s spring 2026 debut marked the start of a brand new period for Versace, but it surely now feels nearly like a time capsule of what that period might have been. He took the home’s beloved codes of sexiness, glamour, and ’90s nostalgia into his personal planet. The assortment was a departure from the polished Versace we knew, introducing a contemporary standpoint. Considering how shortly the home has already moved on, this debut has change into an particularly attention-grabbing snapshot of a really transient chapter in Versace and vogue historical past.
Gucci Spring/Summer 2026 by Demna
Demna’s first assortment for Gucci felt like a much-anticipated introduction to his model of the home. Instead of fully reinventing Gucci instantly, he performed with a few of its most recognizable characters and eras. The tiger coat on this assortment was modeled by Alex Consani within the lookbook and was shortly photographed on celebrities like Meryl Streep and Dua Lipa.
(Image credit score: Logan Mock)
Talent: Vanessa Ouma
Photographer: Logan Mock
Stylist: Lauren Eggertsen
Editor in Chief: Kat Collings
Creative Director: Amy Armani
Hairstylist: Dindi Hojah
Makeup Artist: Sandy Ganzer
Manicurist: Queenie Nguyen
Social Video: Emma Hughes
Producer: Erin Corbett
