The year’s most celebrated fashion weeks. Fashion Week Fun Facts

All eyes in the business turn to the international fashion capitals—New York City, London, Milan, Paris, and Miami—during Fashion Weeks to view the newest looks.

The hottest designers showcase their new season’s collections for journalists, fashion buyers, celebrities, and fashionistas in a continual parade of parties and catwalk presentations.

It’s also an opportunity for fashion designers to take notes, assess trends, and identify models who best showcase their work.

Fashion Weeks are typically held twice a year, in February and September, to highlight the spring/summer and fall/winter collections.

New York opens off Fashion Week, with London, Milan, and Paris close behind. Miami, a newer entry, gets a head start in July, before the other “big four” cities’ exhibitions.

Spring/Summer 2018 Collection Highlights

Here are some of the world’s greatest designers’ runway looks, as well as what fashionistas may anticipate to see in stores come spring 2018. So let’s get started with Teeanime.

New York Fashion Week

We’ll be wearing open-toed shoes, motorcycle jackets and pants, sheer and sheer paneled shirts and bottoms, menswear-inspired suits and sport coats, various head wraps, and thigh-high slits and boots in 2018. FentyXPuma’s sheer and white pull-over hoodie worn by model of the moment Adwoa Aboah is on our desire list.

London Fashion Week

This season, British designers used a lot of color, as well as bright patterns and materials. There were few ball gowns on display this season, but tea-length and floor-length dresses with heels or sneakers were a common theme. Christopher Kane’s collection included a number of tea-length dresses and coats in a variety of materials and styles. Many British designers included asymmetrical and unconventional accessories in their designs. Webster’s wing-adorned shoes, pixie-themed handbags, and elf-inspired statement jewelry are just a few examples.

Milan Fashion Week

Milan Fashion Week was packed with nostalgia this season. Missoni celebrated their 20th anniversary with 70s-inspired patterns and pastel colors, creating a light and breezy spring season mood. Versace’s tribute to Donatella’s late brother Gianni was arguably the highlight of Milan Fashion Week. The collection combined 90s-influenced patterns from Gianni’s prime with styles inspired by the millennial age. The finale, which featured supermodels from the 1990s (Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Helena Christianson) wearing chain-mail gowns to cap the huge tribute show, was perhaps the most memorable portion of the show and Milan Fashion Week itself.

Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week is undoubtedly the most fashionable fashion event. Many haute-couture design firms present their ready-to-wear lines in lavish fashion. It was all about blending high-end with street style this season. Mui Mui paired structured jackets and dresses with sandals and sneakers, while Louis Vuitton displayed various couture-like gowns with sneakers. Alexander McQueen’s grunge hair and accessories paired with floral motifs and delicate sheer gowns were maybe the most distinctive take on merging high and low.

History of Fashion Week

Fashion Week, originally known as Press Week, began in New York City in 1943. Because of Nazi rule during World War II, Paris fashion displays were canceled, making it impossible for American journalists to travel to France for design inspiration. Who would American fashion designers turn to if they didn’t have the influence of French-designed creations?

Eleanor Lambert, a fashion publicist, recognized a chance to promote the work of American designers and jumped on it. Lambert welcomed the media to New York Press Week as a convenient way for journalists to view the finest of the best in one area at the same time. This was an opportunity for American designers to demonstrate their inventions, acquire international notice, and therefore shift attention away from Paris.

Fashion Week Fun Facts

New York Fashion Week

• The first Fashion Week, which began in 1943, was held there.
• The first of the “big four” Fashion Weeks, it takes place every February and September.
• Outgrew the “tents” in Bryant Park in Manhattan, so in 2010 they moved to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

London Fashion Week

• Founded in 1984
• Organized by the British Fashion Council
• Immediately follows New York Fashion Week
• Held in Somerset House
• First major show to live stream the event
• Introduced men’s collections in 2012
• With more than 5,000 press and buyers in attendance, exceeds coverage of most major news and worldwide sports events

Milan Fashion Week

• Founded in 1958
• Organized by the National Chamber for Italian Fashion
• Immediately follows London Fashion Week
• Exhibiting designers have included luxury Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Versace and Prada

Paris Fashion Week

• Founded in 1973
• Organized by the French Fashion Federation
• Hosts the finale of the “big four” Fashion Weeks
• Held in Carrousel du Louvre
• Showcases the major designers’ collections, including top French designers Chanel, Givenchy and Christian Dior
• Previews haute couture, which is only allowed to be shown in Paris, earlier in the year and exhibits ready-to-wear collections during Fashion Week

Miami Fashion Week

• Founded in 1989; discontinued in 1998 and restored in 2005
• Traditionally held in July before the “big four” however, this year it will be held in April
• Highlights trends in swimwear fashion
• Promotes international swimwear brands from all parts of the world