Fashion

Fashion Week WTF: 10 of the Craziest Things to Happen at Fashion Weeks Past

Fashion Week has its fair share of groundbreaking ensembles each year — clothing that'll be remembered for years. But stunning design isn't the only thing to come out of the week. Fashion Week brings out the best and worst in designers and viewers alike, inspiring great moments of creativity and, inevitably, insanity. Here, we reminisce about some of the indelible moments from Fashion Weeks past.

by Tyler Atwood

Chanel Gives Us the World… Literally

The World is Not Enough isn’t just a Bond movie for Karl Lagerfeld, it’s a mission statement. Lagerfeld erected a globe for Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2013 runway, with markers for each Chanel store. By way of explanation, Lagerfeld said “It’s about the globalization of fashion.”

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DSquared2's Showering Models

You have to get down and dirty at Fashion Week sometimes, so that Dsquared2’s Spring 2014 models showed up naked, showering in their skivvies is almost… efficient. Oh, there was clothing at some point. Dean and Dan, the brains behind the brand, had a beautiful if idiosyncratic vision guiding their collection, calling it “James Dean flying in his little plane over the Bermuda Triangle… he crashes down and lands on this beautiful paradise.”

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Thom Browne Channels The Joker

In 2013, when the Spring/Summer 2014 runways were being presented, The Dark Knight was already five years old… which is why Thom Browne’s parade of Jokers was particularly perplexing. Pardon us, but we’d rather not be thinking of Heath Ledger’s chilling delivery of the line, “Why so serious?” while enjoying Fashion Week.

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Phillipp Plein's Battleground Runway

We’re accustomed to military style permeating the runways, but Phillip Plein threw the world for a loop with his Fall/Winter 2013 runway. His models walked the runway guns a-blazing, touting the slogan “Only kill for real love” emblazoned across their chests.

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Duck Dynasty Makes an Appearance at Fashion Week

Apparently their talents are broader than making offensive comments and hunting ducks. The Duck Dynasty family gathered at Spring/Summer 2014 Fashion Week to celebrate daughter Sadie Robertson’s teen fashion line, called Sadie Robertson Live Original.

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Dior's Floral Wall

In July 2012, Raf Simons made fashion history by adorning the walls of the Dior runway with one million decadent blooms for Paris Couture Fashion Week. While the looks were undeniably beautiful, the stunning display of florals must have been more than a bit distracting.

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Rachel Zoe Misses Marc Jacobs' Show

PR nightmare time: In 2008, the press had a field day when Rachel Zoe missed her dear friend Marc Jacobs’ show. While one missing stylist from a New York Fashion Week show hardly seems like an international crisis, the press’ pickup of the story turned it into a documented disaster. Zoe claimed that it should have taken seven minutes to get to the show, but traffic delayed the process. Note to self: in New York City, it never takes seven minutes to get anywhere by cab.

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Moncler Includes Dogs and Polar Bears

Call them an equal opportunity employer: for Moncler’s March 2013 show, the brand included live dogs and models in polar bear costumes roaming the catwalk.

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Kanye Pretends to Like Fashion for Kim

We were more than a little bit surprised when Kanye West showed up to Paris Couture Fall Fashion Week in 2013… until we recognized his Kardashian companion. While it’s very sweet that Kanye joined his partner for the fashion extravaganza, he looked less than riveted.

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Anna Wintour Couldn't Be Bothered to Walk

Apparently running Vogue and terrifying the staff are so taxing for Anna Wintour that the editor at times literally has no energy to move. According to Tim Gunn, Ms. Wintour was carried out from Peter Som’s 2006 show by her bodyguards. While we often joke about being carried home after a long day at work or a fun night out, the theory hasn’t actually been tested yet. Perhaps we should pull an Anna Wintour and try it.

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