For the Spring Summer 2024 fashion month, designers rebelled against the unspoken rules of the industry by presenting fresh perspectives for us to delight in. From Karoline Vitto’s body-positive show at sample size Milan to a refreshing female gaze in Christian Dior at PFW, household and emerging brands alike are making statements about the toxicity hiding in the industry’s underbelly.
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Dior SS24
Renown for their feminine silhouettes cult label Dior threw away their playbook this season instead, Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri has injected feminism the collection, willing for women to dress for themselves.
Chiuri invites us to reimagine the female archetypes, from the ‘dangerous’ medieval witches to the ‘devilish’ femme fatales of 19th Century France. In a nearly all-black color palette, the show was a funeral for the clichés we have been fed our whole lives, unchaining the women of the present through garments that reclaim the power of the past.
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Bewitching displays were present in fishnet and cobweb patterns, charred gray denim, delicate lace dresses, and frayed tailoring. The Parisienne Independent Thinkers were in the maps and Eiffel Tower graphics on structured blazers and long woolen coats. She reframed female stereotypes by adding gladiator straps to ballet pumps, utilitarian silhouettes to aprons and capes, and fitting power suits under dainty, cinched belts.
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Contrasting her earnest message was a colorful backdrop filled with satirical feminist slogans: the ‘Not Her’ art installation by Italian artist Elena Bellantoni. “It’s the dark side of Dior!” Chiuri claimed with a enchanting glint in her eyes.
Karoline Vito SS24
On the closing day of MFW, just as the sun finally shone after a week of rain, Karoline Vitto made history. Known for her body-positive clothes, the London-based Brazilian designer had a tear-filled, monumental show supported by Dolce & Gabbana. Although she has been making waves for the last two years with her inclusivity message at LFW, it’s nothing compared to the significance of having only plus-sized models strut down the Milan runways.
Vitto brought true, authentic inclusivity to the fashion capital. Models from size 10 to 24, were flown in from her London studio. The collection further proved this, as she used her signature jersey and metal materials to hug the folds and curves society condemns women for.
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Structural metal rings laddered down hips and thighs, while skimpy swimwear, barely-there slip dresses, and low-rise trousers celebrated models’ bodies. Structured bustiers, skin-bearing vests, and jersey cutout dresses followed. Vitto wants the runway to represent real women because, in her own words, ‘the majority of us are not sample size, we should be seen.”
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After showing with incubator Fashion East at LFW for the past two years, Vitto gained the support of Dolce & Gabanna after world-renowned stylist Katie Grand vouched for her. It comes as no surprise then that we saw classic Dolce lingerie shapes and references to their 1992 collection, coupled with the archive fabric and size-inclusive heels gifted to Vitto by the Maison.
Post-show, editors, models, guests, and the designer herself hugged in joyful tears. Ashley Graham, who opened the show, exclaimed: “You should be crying, it was incredible! We just made history!” She then turned to the reporters. “It feels normal. You want diversity? This is diversity. More designers should be doing this. We need more curves on the runway, we need to have this be the normal. If I’m feeling normal on a runway with this many girls, it means that there’s something that doesn’t feel normal on runways everywhere else.” If this is where fashion is going, count all of us in.
Vaquera SS24
For the SS24 season, Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee brought their signature NY subversive eroticism to Paris. The show was a look at how celebrities navigate a life filled with cameras– and how we do too, now that we’ve all become our own paparazzi.
Models used ball caps, black-tinted sunglasses, and bags to hide from the flashing cameras and high-pitched tones that made the runway. They dodged and pushed their way through standing guests who, ironically (or appropriately) filmed everything like fans pushing against a security barricade.
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Inspired by the 00s and 10s, we saw fishnet bodysuits, puffball gowns, bottomless chaps, and a ‘I Heart NY’ shoulder bag. Titled ‘Does It Really Matter’, the show even brought back Tumblr’s most wanted 2000s piece: the ‘Commes des Fuckdown’ slogan cap.
Vaquera questions whether celebrities’ need to be either constantly filmed or remain anonymous really matters when everyone has an iPhone anyway. Whether our own desire to hide or film ourselves truly deserves any attention. Reflecting this camera-shy vs. camera-loving duality, conventional looks were split down the back to reveal buttcheaks and bra straps.
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A traditional black tube skirt was overlayed with pink underwear, simple black pantsuits had bondage straps, and golden tank tops had breast cut-out circles. Even if the show stood out for bringing out its classic devilish fun, the message behind it gave us food for thought–or, in this case, fashion for thought.
AVAVAV SS24
Every season, Stockholm-born designer Beate Karlsson breaks the internet with her humor-riddled show (last time the clothes literally fell apart down the runway). And, although the SS24 crowd also ended in laughter and delightful. And, although the SS24 crowd also ended in laughter and delightful gasps, the now-viral collection called out the toxic hustle culture we live in.
Stressed-looking models sped down the runway as they finished dressing, some even sporting half-finished designs or mascara running down their faces. The show opened with the backstage staff quickly stamping ‘AVAVAV’ post-its on the wall and pushing a model onto the runway. After anxiously trying to return BTS, she took off in quick strides as the second model appeared wearing an unfinished graphic T-shirt with “ADD BACK?! lettering.
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The show was about emoting the pressure, chaos, and overwhelm we deal with regularly. It called out the time crunches and unrealistic deadlines designers have to meet while juggling a million things season after season after– you get the point. Models fought back tears as they sported sheer leggings, gloves, and furry boots with “Filthy Rich” tattooed on their chest instead of a top.
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Some hid their faces altogether with front-facing hoodies, others had question-marked Sharpie annotations on T-shirts and one walked out wrapped in duct tape. Near the end, a model even ran down the runway with two foam blocks that read “ADD SHAPE”. What really took the lid off was the last look: a power suit made entirely of empty post-its. Titled, “NO TIME TO DESIGN”, AVAVAV somehow managed to be the most out-of-the-box and relatable show of Paris Fashion Week, simultaneously.
Words by Alexia De Las Heras
Header Images by @avavav @globalfashionstylist & @vaquera
