The fashion industry, with its glitz and glam and never-ending shape-shifting, is a bottomless well of “look at me!” moments: Whether we like it or not, there is always something to gawk at. After all, brands rely on the attention economy to stay relevant, where views — especially online — are worth their weight in gold. Whether worthy of admiration or admonition, here are some of the most-talked-about fashion moments from 2024.
January: A moment for Galliano’s dolls
In January, when the sleep of 2023 was just barely out of our eyes, John Galliano closed out Paris’s haute couture fashion week with a collection for Maison Margiela that shook every sector of the industry. Cathy Horyn, the Cut’s fashion critic, called it one of “the greatest Galliano collections” to date and noted that the in-person audience gave it thunderous applause, even stomping their feet, for nearly five minutes after the show. The event has remained one of fashion’s most talked-about moments despite all the other madness that has happened since.
Inspired by the work of the photographer Brassaï, who documented the characters of Parisian nightlife in the 1920s, Galliano staged a show by the city’s Seine river and sent models like Gwendoline Christie out in snatched corsets or billowing, sheer garments, their hair poofed and coiffed into tangled chaos. The collection sent fashion insiders and fair-weather fans into an obsessive frenzy, analyzing the clothes themselves as well as the near–character acting the models used to create an immersive experience, each of them sauntering with theatrical gaits. A livestream of the event has been watched over 2 million times.
The cherry on top of it all was the artistry on display from famed makeup artist Pat McGrath, who glazed models’ faces in a glistening, pale, and pastel mix, creating a doll-like luminescence about each of them. At the time, the concoction McGrath used was top secret, but that didn’t stop makeup aficionados from trying to recreate the look at home, and for weeks on end, viral videos bubbled up across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube from people trying their hand at the glazed complexion.
February: That’s Schiaparelli?
As is the case for any award show, the Grammys red carpet provides the perfect backdrop to judge a wealthy celebrity’s outfit as we sit comfortably on the couch wearing the ratty old sweatpants we’ve had since high school. But no appearance raised fashion fans’ eyebrows higher than the moment Taylor Swift made Schiaparelli look questionable, something I didn’t even know was in the realm of possibility. The house’s creative director, Daniel Roseberry, is a master at his craft. Nearly everything he touches looks like gold — until Swift showed up to the Grammys in a white gown of his paired with a choker necklace, black opera gloves, peep-toe heels, and some sort of side braid. The entire look was, according to some amateur critics, off. Some of the comments on Roseberry’s Instagram post of Swift wearing the look were brutal: “Who the hell thought of doing that horrible braid? your 5 year old niece?” and “She has the rare ability to make Schiaparelli look like Jessica McClintock.” Ouch. We would later find out that the look was some sort of Easter egg related to her Fortnight music video. Of course; this girl loves Easter eggs.
March: All about the butt drums
Andreas Kronthaler’s take on a Vivienne Westwood show had everything: Sam Smith dressed as some sort of campy, mythical creature dancing on a stump and a pair of butt cheeks played like drums. Hmmm! Fascinating! I’ll keep it at that!
April: Zendaya kept her eye on the ball
As they say in sports (I think): “Be the ball.” No one, possibly in the history of humans tossing, throwing, and hitting round (and round-adjacent) things, has done that as well as Zendaya throughout her Challengers press run. Styled, of course, by her longtime collaborator Law Roach, the actress embodied not only the role of a tennis player, both on and off-duty, but also sometimes the role of a literal tennis ball. She wore that bright, neon-green color frequently and even used some tennis balls as accessories on her dresses and shoes. And you know what? It was fun! Everyone say “thank you” to Law for mastering method dressing on the red carpet!
May: Fashion is political
The Cannes Film Festival is a feast for fashion fanatics: Celebrities who might otherwise play it safe go full out on the Riviera. Typically, these serves are reserved for the red carpet, but leave it to none other than Bella Hadid to make a statement on an ice-cream run. The supermodel, who is of Palestinian descent, wore a red-and-white “keffiyeh dress” (technically it was a shemagh, with roots across the Middle East as well, but in modern times, the two scarves have become interchangeable) from designers Michael Sears and Hushi Mortezaie of the label Michael and Hushi. Hadid and her dress immediately took the internet by storm, as do most outfits she wears, and had fans praising her choice to use fashion to spark conversations about human rights. The dress was made with Palestinian fabrics and debuted at the designers’ 2001 runway show in a collection inspired by Iranian and Palestinian iconography.
June: Farewell “Papa Dries”
After nearly 40 years, Dries Van Noten took his final bow at the helm of his eponymous brand. It’s not an exaggeration to say he and his work were among the most beloved in fashion: His impact in the industry was profound, and after he announced his intention to retire, several fashion lovers, editors, designers, and stylists came forward across social media to share their love of his brand. Amanda Murray, a stylist and fashion darling, lovingly referred to the designer as “Papa Dries” and shared much of her vast collection of his clothing online. Eight hundred people turned out for Van Noten’s final show, including fellow designers Pierpaolo Piccioli, Haider Ackermann, Maria Cornejo, Diane Von Furstenberg, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Ann Demeulemeester. I hope Van Noten is doing exactly what he hoped to do in retirement: spending more time in his beautiful garden.
July: How do you do, fellow kids?
Meta and its founder always seem to be embroiled in some dark controversy or another, but this year it appeared that Mark Zuckerberg was trying to appeal to the masses, complete with a “How do you do, fellow kids?” glow up. Suddenly, the tech founder’s horrific micro bangs had grown out into a trendy, curly crop. He traded his wetsuits and fitted shirts for baggy, hypebeast-y tees and oversize pants to match. And lest we forget, he started wearing a chain and what looks to be some form of a tan (bottled or natural, who can say?). Memes ensued, and suddenly people on the internet were more interested in Zuckerberg’s look than his work. Hmmm!
Me: Bearded Zuck you have to stop. Your smoked meat's too tough. Your swag too different. Your open source LLM is too bad. they'll kill you
— Mike Rundle (@flyosity) April 18, 2024
Bearded Zuck: pic.twitter.com/pdKwMUmpKS
August: Simping for a shooter
With many surprises delighting viewers during the Olympics, like Céline Dion’s triumphant return to the stage or that one athlete who couldn’t stop eating the chocolate muffins in the Olympic village, perhaps the most welcome (or thirsty, depending on your viewpoint) was the world falling in love with Korean Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji. The level of cool emanating from her is unteachable. It’s something you’re simply born with: the backward cap, the way her shooting glasses sit on her face, the fit of her zip up, and even the little elephant stuffed animal she wore on her belt loop that belonged to her daughter added to her overall (and I hate to use this word) swag.
no matter what you do in life, you’ll probably never look this cool doing it pic.twitter.com/ORjRhnI1hO
— Aubrey Strobel (@aubreystrobel) July 30, 2024
September: Bella Hadid’s return
While 2024 was ripe with prime fashion moments, the actual runways seemed a bit parched. They were thirsty for some iconography. Enter Bella Hadid’s return to the runway. (Yes, we have two Hadid moments to round out the year, and honestly, duh, she’s fashion’s North Star.) Hadid had taken a step back from shows to focus on her health and businesses, but she returned after nearly two years away to Paris Fashion Week to walk for Yves Saint Laurent. Hadid gets bonus points for this return because the suit and glasses she wore were très chic.
October: The angels descend on the runway
The much-anticipated return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show finally came to fruition after a nearly six-year hiatus (not including last year’s presentation, which we declared could’ve been an email). The brand staged its show in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and quite literally pulled out all the stops. Think of a beautiful, famous woman. Really, any woman will do. Got it? She was probably at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, either in the audience or walking the runway. Gigi and Bella Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, Ashley Graham, Alex Consani, OG Angels such as Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima, and original supermodels like Kate Moss and Carla Bruni all walked the show. The brand also included performances from young music darlings like Lisa, Tyla, and, somehow, the icon that is Cher. While the brand visibly made an effort to appear more inclusive by hiring plus-size and trans models, and more women of color, the show was still met with mixed reviews regarding casting, the lackluster runway, and the horrific shoe fiascos that happened throughout the show. Some fans cheered the new approach to diversity, telling the Cut’s fashion writer Chantal Fernandez that they “welcomed the new age and body diversity among the models.” Others tapped right back into a very early-aughts way of thinking, saying, “They inspire me to keep healthy, exercise, and keep fit and be pretty. You want to be pretty looking at them.” Several felt the show fell flat, with one observer noting, “I think they are doing the bare minimum with diversity, with the body types, no offense.”
