Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is regarded as one of the most prominent events in the fashion industry. The biannual event is categorized as one sector of the “Big Four,” completed by London, New York and Milan Fashion Weeks.
Divided into menswear, haute couture and ready-to-wear, Paris Fashion Week follows a spring and fall schedule, with the dates determined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode — the French Fashion Federation.
The organization presented the first official Paris Fashion Week in 1973, overseen by New York Fashion Week founder Eleanor Lambert and Versailles curator Gérald Van der Kemp. Doubling as a fundraiser to renovate the Palace of Versailles, the event marked the first time menswear, haute couture and rtw were showcased together in Paris.
The inaugural event served as a turning point for fashion events to come, and included the Battle of Versailles fashion show on Nov. 30, 1973. Dubbed by WWD’s editor John B. Fairchild as the "Battle," the landmark fashion competition saw five American brands — Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Halston, Oscar de la Renta and Stephen Burrows — showcase eight designs against French designers — Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent. Big stars including Josephine Baker, Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minelli attended — and the American designers emerged victorious.
Over time, Paris Fashion Week has expanded, becoming the more daring of the other fashion weeks, and put the city of Paris on the map as one of the most fashionable in the world. Although Paris Fashion Week doesn't have a designated venue, a landmark location for most Paris Fashion Week shows is the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, which is appreciated for its architectural design.
Renowned moments in Paris Fashion Week history include Thierry Mugler’s 1984 fashion show, the first time a designer opened a runway show to the French paying public; Madonna gracing Jean Paul Gaultier’s 1992 runway show in a topless bra, and the late Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel fall 2014 rtw fashion show, which featured a supermarket-themed runway.
Contributing to the digital age, Paris Fashion Week has also become a spectacle for viral moments on social media. Coperni’s 2022 Paris Fashion Week show concluded with Bella Hadid having her Fabrican dress spray-painted on in real-time, gaining 2.8 million likes on Instagram.
Paris Fashion Week
Chanel RTW Spring 2017
Karl Lagerfeld took inspiration from high-tech - robots, cables, digital graphics - a concept he embraced…
L’Oréal Paris Holds Gold Obsession Bash
Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Doutzen Kroes and Lucky Blue Smith were among guests at the party held in Paris…
Ellery RTW Spring 2017
The collection channeled countercultures and subcultures; rebels, thinkers and poets.
Zadig & Voltaire RTW Spring 2017
The festival-vibe collection nodded to perennial rock greats.
Christina Hendricks, Vivienne Westwood Toast Paris Boutique
The "Mad Men" actress was among the guests celebrating the opening of the new store in Paris.
Esteban Cortazar RTW Spring 2017
The designer described the collection as a superpersonal kaleidoscope of ideas.
Sonia Rykiel RTW Spring 2017
Julie de Libran paid tribute to the late Sonia Rykiel at the spring show, while also looking to the future…
Celebrities Rally Around Kim Kardashian After Robbery at Gunpoint at Paris Fashion Week
Celebrities took to social media to share their support for the reality star who was victim of a robbery by…
Veronique Branquinho RTW Spring 2017
The channeled old interiors and traditional handicraft techniques.
Hermès RTW Spring 2017
Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski turned out another exquisitely tasteful collection that is reverential, but all the…
Stella McCartney RTW Spring 2017
Stella McCartney delivered a fun, cohesive collection with a conflux of ideas — tribal meets athletic meets…
Azzedine Alaïa, Surface Magazine Host Dinner in Paris
Kim attended a special dinner in the designer's private kitchen with her sister Kourtney before she got…
Dorhout Mees RTW Spring 2017
The designer unleashed her theatrical side in this quirky, anachronistic collection.
Masha Ma RTW Spring 2017
A softer, more feminine direction emerged, tempering the pumped-up club-kid looks.
Faith Connexion RTW Spring 2017
The ubercool Parisian design collective, which has built a strong following for its unorthodox punk…