Five iconic moments in 90’s runway fashion

There are so many iconic moments in the fashion, whether it’s a runway moment , an iconic hair flip, or a show. I have counted my five personal favorites to reflect on.

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1)In 1999 a moment in fashion history was born. The Alexander McQueen spring/summer 1999 fashion show has always been one to remember, but not only for the clothing on the runway, but the performance. There are so many background elements for this performance that I love, McQueen was only 30, an independent designer from London, and did not have the big budget most have for these types of shows. Yet he hired some of the biggest models , each walking the runway for around £100 each. So many icons walked that runway, the show itself was huge. Though the most amazing and memorable moment of them all, was when Shalom Harlow stepped on a revolving platform in the middle of two robots. In the video below you can see just how powerful and artistically she moves. I assume being a ballet dancer helped with this, as her movements and expressions. In the video you can see how she doesn’t flinch when they are toward her head, she lifts her arms gracefully, to allow the robots to spray her with paint. They did not rehearse this either, making it even more impressive. This performance had raw, immersive, and expressive emotion making it so artistic and inspirational.

Alexander McQueen spring/summer 1999 Dress no. 13 worn by Shalom Harlow.

2)A moment in fashion that I don’t think is talked about enough is Vivienne Westwood autumn/winter 1993. The reason this is iconic in my eyes is because Niomi Campbell fell over in 9 inch Vivienne Westwood platforms. You would think a fall in such a big show would result in a super models demise, but it was quite the opposite. In a British vogue interview in October of 2019, Campbell says that some designers began reaching out to her asking for her to purposely fall at shows. Her fall made an impact on fashion, so much so that those shoes are on display at Londons V&A museum.

Vivienne Westwood autumn/winter 1993 , Naomi Campbell, Photography Guy Marineau/Condé Nast via Getty Image

3)Thierry Mugler , has pieces that I can only dream of wearing. Mugler in general is iconic, everything Thierry Mugler has produced is a piece of art and fashion excellence. Thierry Mugler is a huge part of fashion who has touched the lives of many with his pieces, as he is such an influence. Not only were the pieces he created amazing, but he hired transgender models like Teri Toye and Connie Fleming and also including Drag artists Joey Arias and Lypsinka. Mugler had more diversity than any, an opened many doors to inclusivity in fashion. Not only with gender but we got models of different size in shows, which is not something not seen much in the 90’s, an something designers are still trying to integrate more now. This is why instead of a specific show he is iconic for, I think Thierry Mugler himself, is an iconic moment in fashion due to the inclusivity of the shows, the designs, and artistry.

4) In 1998 Alek Wek had thrown off the blonde wig she was given to walk the NYFW Betsey Johnson show. Most thought that this was a planned act of defiance for the show, but in reality, Wek threw it off because she felt that it wasn’t her. She did not take it off to cause a scene but a statement, she was just starting out in fashion and did not want to feel like she was not represented. It was seen as a rebellion of the European standard of beauty and is still talked about greatly.

5)Naomi Campbell has shown time an time again that she can make an iconic moment happen on and off the runway. This time she walked for Gianni Versace men’s wear 1998, where even though it was a runway show, it was mostly a performance. The show began with dancers in Versace, and ended with Naomi Campbell gliding on stage in a sparkling Versace dress with a fake gun in hand. As she walked towards one of the other models, who is down on the floor seemingly panicked, she approached and pointed the gun at him multiple times during the show. While this wasn’t the last part of her performance, it was the most iconic one. I continue to see people edit this clip of Campbell to songs that invoke power, being that it was such a powerful moment to watch.