Lecture Summary

In today’s lecture we discussed ‘Fashion Calendar Chaos’ and the pattern in which haute couture shows work. 

These high fashion brands work in periods of the fashion calendar with the A/W Manufacture Window being September - November, the S/S Shows being January, the S/S Manufacture Window being February - May and then finally the A/W shows being in July. 

The Ready To Wear shows however work to a different calendar with the S/S Shows being in September, A/W Purchase Window being in October - December, the A/W Shows being in February, and the S/S Purchase Window from March - May. 

We then learnt about Pre Resort Cruises which are shows done out of the fashion calendar schedule. These shows are made to be showed off via social media and look good for images and get people talking. An example of this is the Gucci SS19 Fashion Show  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfiwnrvVyeI  they’re thinking about the atmosphere, runway, set up, not just the clothes. 

These Pre Resort Cruise Shows work on a schedule of shows being from November - May, September - November is when clothes are available for purchase, and July - August they are also available for purchase. Another great example of a show of this type is the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2017 Show which was olympics inspired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJlUVD0ct90

Then we discussed the Fashion Capitals:

New York: Purity and minimalism, active/sportswear inspired, practical. Old Guard - Calvin Klein, Donna Karen, Oscar de la Renta. New Guard - Off White, Monse.

London: Melting pot, eccentric, rebellious/punk, new gen, heritage tailoring. Old Guard - John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen. New Guard - Simone Rocha, J W Anderson, Christopher Kane. Newest Guard - Molly Goddard, Charles Jeffrey, Marques Almeida.

Milan: Compatible to climate, joyful, sexy, romantic, colourful, feminine. Old Guard - Versace, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana. New Guard - Marni, Marco De Vincenzo, No 21.

Paris: Romance, feminine, quality and craftsmanship, historic fashion haus, sexy, innovation in cut and construction. Old Houses Under New Guard - Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent, Maria Grazia Chiuri for Christian Dior, Olivier Rousteing for Balmain, Nicolas Ghesquire for Louis Vuitton, and Natacha Ramsay - Levi for Chloé.

Finally we discussed Chaos In Fashion Boundaries. Vetements started chaos by showing during off season, because this is when buyers had more money, yet this went against the fashion calendar. The resale of their Season One Collection due to very few buyers as people were too afraid to buy from an unheard brand. They show only two collections a year, yet drip feeds sneak peaks throughout the year to build hype. They also did a collection within a collection, meaning they collaborated with known brands to gain recognition.

Chanel were the pioneer of Cruise Resort Collections, they’re inspired by cities and once the collection is done they’re showcased in these cities e.g. Dallas, Edinburgh, Havana. The first company to take shows on the road. 

Burberry started the ‘Shop The Show’ collection meaning their clothing is available for purchase straight after their runways. They don’t label their clothes and shows by A/W S/S, instead by months such as February 2018. They showed mens and womenswear together, and they also show their collections in adverts before shows.