Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show Reveals a Spectacular 125 Years of Runway History

The life-size, 35-metre-tall rocket ship at Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel show that formed the backdrop to the Autumn/Winter 2017collection at the Grand Palais. Cover picture of Issey Miyake SS27 in Paris by Jay Zoo for DAM.

By Mal James

Fashion shows can often feel exclusive, reserved for the very rich, the very famous or the very well-connected. This perception has been aided by depictions of the catwalk in film and TV, think The Devil Wears Prada, Zoolander, Absolutely Fabulous, which simply confirm the widely held view of fashion as synonymous with artifice and superficiality.

Yet, while the catwalk is undoubtedly a stage for pomp and social peacocking, it is also a serious business. It can make or break a collection’s success, and launch designers and models into the fashion stratosphere. Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show at the V&A in Dundee unveils this reality, offering an access-all-areas glimpse into the intricate world of fashion, revealing great complexity beyond the perceived superficiality.

This exhibition is superbly co-curated by the museum’s Kirsty Hassard and Svetlana Panova, along with Jochen Eisenbrand and Katharina Krawcyzck of the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, where the show originated. It chronicles fashion’s 125-year catwalk journey, exploring its rich history and enduring cultural significance.

It was an Englishman, Charles Frederick Worth, who pioneered the catwalk in mid 19th-century Paris, where he revolutionised fashion presentations by using live models instead of static mannequins. Runway shows allowed models to showcase complete outfits and provided wealthy clients with a more immersive view of Worth’s designs.

By the early 1900s, these fashion parades held in Parisian ballrooms started to evolve into more theatrical events. This trend continued into the 1920s, when shows grew increasingly spectacular and decadent, with Gabrielle Chanel famously presenting models descending the mirrored staircase in her iconic atelier at 31 rue Cambon, Paris.

Fashion and history

On loan from the Balenciaga archive, and seen for the first time in the UK, there is an exquisite array of outfits presented on miniature wire mannequins. This display describes how, in 1945, as Paris emerged from Nazi occupation, the city faced a shortage of materials, making conventional fashion shows impossible. Titled “théâtre de la mode”, this ingenious solution presented haute couture at micro scale to buyers, press and clients, allowing Paris to reclaim its status as the fashion capital of the world.

The exhibition shows how post second world war, catwalk shows expanded in scale, ambition and location, with designers keen to make a lasting impression. André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne were pioneers in the 1960s, while from the 1980s onwards, Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier helped to modernise presentations, connecting them with pop culture and mass audiences.

The emergence of the “supermodels” in the late 1980s and 1990s helped to turn catwalks into cultural phenomena. Groundbreaking shows, such as Versace’s spring/summer 1991, where models who were stars in their own right walked to George Michael’s Freedom, highlighted a dynamic synergy between fashion and pop culture.

By the late 20th century, designers including Alexander McQueen were creating unforgettable fashion moments, such as the No. 13 collection (spring/summer 1999), where model Shalom Harlow wore a white dress that was sprayed by two robots.

Notably, the exhibit dedicated to Hussein Chalayan showcases his contribution towards the transformation of fashion shows into more artistic and cerebral experiences. His 2000 After Words collection, featuring wearable furniture, challenged traditional norms and paved the way for more artistic presentations.

Spectacle, innovation, commerce

There is plenty of fashion spectacle throughout, the exhibition excelling with a curated selection of iconic pieces from the likes of Viktor & Rolf, Maison Martin Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Loewe, Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Yohji Yamamoto and Iris van Herpen – the range is dazzling.

I was captivated by the voluminous but solemn blue Balenciaga velvet dress from the spring/summer 2020 collection by Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia. Evoking a Victorian silhouette, yet with no decoration and a tailored bodice, it reflects fashion’s historical roots in contrast with unfussy modern design.

The powerful silhouette and electric blue tone bring a seriousness to an otherwise radical or performative aesthetic. Positioned in the exhibition, it reminds us how modernity is always tethered to historical influences.

The exhibition showcases how catwalks have become crucial for brand marketing, merging art, commerce and entertainment, while engaging global audiences through digital channels. It includes invitations and artwork from key designers, along with miniature models of Chanel’s 2014 Supermarket and 2017 Space Rocket shows, offering insights into the intricate yet monumental scale of catwalk productions.

The curators have seamlessly integrated Scotland’s contribution to catwalk history too, charting the influence of fabrics like tweed and tartan, and featuring photographs from Glasgow’s Empire Exhibition in 1938, possibly Scotland’s earliest fashion show. There are also fascinating images from Dior’s inaugural Scottish shows in 1955 in Glasgow and at Gleneagles, echoed almost 70 years later with a 2024 Dior show (under designer Maria Grazia Chuiri) where models walked the exquisite topiaried gardens of Drummond Castle in Perthshire.

The exhibition includes the coveted label Le Kilt, featuring an outfit from the 2024 show, created in collaboration with Dior, further highlighting the the fashion house’s Scotland connection. Prominent Scottish designers are also featured, such as Christopher Kane, Charles Jeffrey and the poignant inclusion of an outfit by the late Pam Hogg who died last November.

The exhibition highlights how catwalks can mirror societal changes and evolving beauty standards. I was thrilled to see the inclusion of Rick Owens’ Spring/Summer 2016 presentation, where a 40-strong group of female “steppers” stomped down the runway in poses and expressions that defied typical beauty expectations.

The show caters to diverse audiences and ages, featuring dynamic catwalk and backstage photography by British photographer Robert Fairer, who has captured the energy and spirit of the fashion industry since the early 1990s. Engaging and interactive exhibits also let audiences in on the inner workings of fashion shows, including hairstyling and make-up.

Fun selfie opportunities allow visitors to engage with fashion’s more flamboyant side which make you feel like part of the exhibition, rather than merely an observer. This excellent V&A show truly challenges and expands our perception of the catwalk, leading audiences towards a lasting and deeper respect for the art of fashion and its important and enduring influence.

The Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show is now on at the V&A Dundee until January 2027.

Mal James, Personal Chair of Fashion Design, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh

Review: Cartier, ‘the Jeweller of Kings’, has Come to the National Gallery of Victoria in a Dazzling New Exhibition

Cartier's legendary 'Tutti Frutti' necklace, a riot of carved emeralds, rubies and sapphires, that captured the French house's bold interwar imagination in 1936  and a new modern elegance. Cartier Collection. Photograph: Vincet Wulveryck. Cover picture of Hermes AW26 by Max Farago,

By Sasha Grishin

Harper's Bazaar editor and Parisian

socialite, Daisy Fellowes, wearing

the 'Tutti Frutti' Hindou necklace

in its original form, in 1937.

Photograph: Cecil Beaton

Founded in Paris 179 years ago, Cartier has fostered a legendary reputation as the creator of luxury goods for royalty, the aristocracy, film stars, and the generally wealthy. The English king Edward VII famously referred to Cartier as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”.

The glittering magnificence of the Cartier style through the ages has been brought together in a major exhibition by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, now being presented at the National Gallery of Victoria.

An Instant Hit 

Curated over almost a decade by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Helen Molesworth, the Cartier show opened in London last year for a seven-month season and promptly sold out.

With almost 350 items on display, it was celebrated by many as one of the best shows of 2025. However, one criticism was the exhibition was too cramped, and the inevitable small scale of most of the objects resulted in a crowd crush within darkened spaces.

King Edward VII famously referred to Cartier as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”

Director of the Cartier Collection, 

Pascale Lepeu, at the new exhibition

Melbourne, at the NGV International.

The NGV iteration of the exhibition, with almost 400 items, presents a number of alterations to the checklist of exhibits, such as the inclusion of necklaces and bodice ornaments owned by Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. Melba was an early client of the brand, with Pierre Cartier among her fans.

More significantly, the NGV has collaborated with internationally renowned designers to reimagine the exhibition, following in a tradition it has established for itself over several years.

The gallery has collaborated with Studio Sabine Marcelis and CLOUD, two multidisciplinary design practices based in Rotterdam, in The Netherlands.

Marcelis evokes the Cartier colour palette in her design, while CLOUD has built on the Cartier geometric forms to create light-filled architectural structures that are involved in a creative dialogue with the jewellery.

It was Alfred’s three sons who made Cartier into a powerhouse of fashion design, with offices in Paris, London, New York and St Petersburg

Alfred Cartier (second from right) with his three sons

Pierre, Louis and Jacques, 1922. Cartier Collection

Photograph: Vincent Wulveryck.

A Thumbnail Sketch of the Cartier Style

The thumbnail sketch of the development of the Cartier style is mandatory for understanding the exhibition. 

Louis-François Cartier founded the firm in Paris in 1847, and in 1874 passed it to his son Alfred. 

It was Alfred’s three sons – Louis, Pierre and Jacques – who internationalised the brand and made it into a powerhouse of fashion design, with offices in Paris, London, New York and St Petersburg.

Louis embraced orientalist Art Deco designs and colourful “Tutti Frutti” jewel combinations. 

He also pioneered wristwatch designs and exploited platinum as a structural base for elaborate diamond and gemstone settings in the jewellery.

Cartier continues to resonate with its audiences by tapping into ancient cultures and traditions, making them modern and relevant

Splendid Cartier Paris necklace from 1947.

Cartier Collection. Photograph: Nils Hermann.

Pierre extended operations to New York, while Jacques developed operations in New Bond Street in London.

It is difficult to define the Cartier design, yet relatively simple to recognise it when you encounter it.

Writing in the NGV Cartier catalogue, Vivienne Becker, a prolific London-based jewellery historian, arrives at a convincing characterisation. She writes that the style:

is underpinned by culture, by an ever-evolving quest to infuse jewellery design with originality, artistic integrity and cultural richness.

As one makes their way around the exhibition, there is constant encounter with styles from the past – including Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese, Iranian and Islamic elements – informing the use of diamonds and other precious materials. 

The tiaras have been worn by celebrities, from Clementine Churchill at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to the singer Rihanna

A scintillating tiara, made by Cartier 

Londonin 1937. Cartier Collection.

Photograph: Vincent Wulveryck

A Who's-Who List of Clients

Cartier also has its repertoire of signature motifs, such as the iconic Panthère, which may appear as a panther clip brooch, or snakes and crocodiles that can take the forms of necklaces and bracelets.

As jewellers and watchmakers, Cartier was known as the “watchmaker of shapes” – exploiting squares, rectangles and octagons, rather than the traditional circle.

While celebrating a supreme elegance, most of the items on display have the power to surprise, such as a spectacular scarab brooch, or a 1933 brooch with a giant floating amethyst set against sapphires, diamonds and platinum.

A highlight of the exhibition is the display of more than 20 stunning tiaras. These are symbols of royalty and glamour, with connotations of celestial halos, laurel wreaths and garlands.

These tiaras have been worn by a who’s who of celebrities. For instance, one scroll tiara (1902) was worn by Clementine Churchill at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and again in 2016 by the singer Rihanna, on the cover of W magazine.

Household names who have worn the Cartier jewellery in this exhibition include Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Dame Nellie Melba

Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor,

in Cartier jewels, 1939. Conde Nast

Photograph: Cecil Beaton Archive

There is also the Sun tiara of 1907, with a 32-carat cognac-yellow diamond at its core, and the Art Deco diamond and platinum Halo tiara of 1934, which was inspired by ancient Egypt and owned by Begum Aga Khan III.

Household names who have worn the Cartier jewellery present in this exhibition include Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Rihanna, Princess Margaret, The Duchess of Windsor, Dame Nellie Melba, the Maharaja of Patiala, Begum Aga Khan III and American heiress Barbara Hutton. These will prove a selfie magnet for many visitors.

While this is not the first major Cartier exhibition in Australia (there was a big show in Canberra in 2018), it is the largest, containing almost 300 items never previously seen in Australia. It is also the most innovative in its display.

Cartier continues to resonate with its audiences by going beyond mere displays of ostentatious wealth; it taps into ancient cultures and traditions, making them modern and relevant to contemporary audiences.

Cartier is showing at the National Gallery of Victoria from June 12 to October 4.

Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University

Paris Fashion Week: Bamboo, Balance and Beauty Define Issey Miyake's Vision of Modern Menswear

Issey Miyake presented an elegant and poetic SS27 collection in Paris for their label IM Men. Photograph (above) and cover picture by Jay Zoo for DAM.

Fashion designers often look to nature for inspiration, but few interpret it with the innovation and precision of Issey Miyake's IM Men Spring/Summer 2027 collection. Created by Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura and Nobutaka Kobayashi and shown at Paris Fashion Week, the Japanese label transformed the quiet poetry of bamboo into an elegant exploration of craftsmanship, movement and textile experimentation, delivering one of the season’s most thoughtful and technically accomplished collections. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Jay Zoo

The atmospheric, pale tones of the Paris runway

was contrasted with tall, black bamboo poles.

INSIDE the serene white space at Césure, the former university campus on Paris's Left Bank, Issey Miyake unveiled In Praise of Bamboo Shadows, a collection that transformed one of nature's most familiar forms into a sophisticated study of construction and material invention.

"The collection explores the perceptive intensity and sensorial flux evoked by the delicate presence of bamboo shadows, expressing them through clothing," the designers Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura and Nobutaka Kobayashi explained. That deceptively simple statement became the intellectual foundation for one of the week's most considered collections, where craftsmanship and experimentation unfolded with remarkable clarity.

Before the first look appeared, the audience was immersed in an abstract landscape of ethereal white with black bamboo and translucent screens. Shadowy figures drifted behind the semi-transparent installation, their outlines slowly sharpening as they stepped forward. The staging immediately established the collection's central dialogue between concealment and revelation, a recurring theme that continued throughout the show.

"The collection explores the perceptive intensity and sensorial flux evoked by the delicate presence of bamboo shadows, expressing them through clothing"

Bamboo shadows, a range inspired by 

East Asian ink paintings and intricate,

paper stencils used in katazome dyeing. 

Drawing inspiration from bamboo imagery found in East Asian ink paintings and the intricate paper stencils used in traditional katazome textile dyeing, the designers resisted the temptation to create literal interpretations. Instead, they distilled centuries of artistic tradition into garments that felt unmistakably contemporary.

The opening sequence introduced immaculate tailoring in black and white, where finely printed bamboo shadows drifted across sharply cut coats and relaxed suits. Produced using the Japanese ironaki dyeing technique on bamboo fibre blended with organic cotton, the prints possessed an extraordinary softness that blurred the boundary between textile and artwork.

As the collection evolved, silhouette became increasingly expressive. Oversized outerwear enveloped the body with effortless ease, while generous dolman sleeves and sculptural collars created garments that floated rather than imposed themselves. One particularly memorable series referenced the layered ceremonial robes associated with Princess Kaguya from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, translating historical dress into striking contemporary volumes without resorting to costume.

Lightweight denim carried subtle hand-finished bleaching that recreated the tonal gradients of bamboo depicted in ink landscapes

Denim in tonal gradients was created in a 

lightweight version with subtle bleaching. 

Textile development has always been fundamental to the Miyake philosophy, and here it remained the collection's greatest strength.

Lightweight denim carried subtle hand-finished bleaching that recreated the tonal gradients of bamboo depicted in ink landscapes, while jacquard fabrics reproduced the woven geometry of traditional bamboo basketry with astonishing three-dimensional precision. Blousons engineered from single rectangular pattern pieces revealed the studio's continuing fascination with reducing construction to its purest form.

Pleating, an enduring signature within the Miyake canon, was approached with fresh purpose. Instead of functioning merely as decoration, rhythmic hand-worked folds echoed the segmented structure of bamboo stems, giving garments an architectural rhythm that constantly shifted as the wearer moved. The result was clothing that appeared simultaneously sculptural and remarkably weightless.

Carefully removed pocket structures exposed underlying layers, allowing absence itself to become an active design element

Cut-outs were a feature, making

negative space part of the design. 

Perhaps the collection's most intellectually engaging proposition emerged through garments exploring negative space.

Carefully removed pocket structures exposed underlying layers, allowing absence itself to become an active design element. It was an elegant reminder that innovation often comes through restraint rather than addition.

Accessories extended the narrative with equal intelligence. Soft leather bags borrowed their form from chimaki, the traditional bamboo leaf-wrapped delicacy, while woven hats and sculptural headpieces subtly reinforced the show's botanical inspiration. Completing the looks was the latest evolution of Issey Miyake footwear, developed alongside ASICS, where the shoe's technical framework disappeared beneath a seamless textile skin, elegantly dissolving the distinction between sportswear and design object.

 Every colour felt connected to the changing light within a bamboo grove rather than the dictates of seasonal fashion.

The black and white part of the collection,

was enlivened with deep blues and pinks.

The restrained monochrome palette gradually gave way to earthy browns, sage greens, vivid royal blue and flashes of vibrant pink, introducing moments of optimism without disturbing the collection's meditative rhythm. Every colour felt connected to the changing light within a bamboo grove rather than the dictates of seasonal fashion.

While many collections this season have relied on spectacle to generate conversation, IM Men demonstrated that genuine innovation speaks with  greater authority. In Praise of Bamboo Shadows was not simply another exercise in technical excellence from the Miyake Design Studio. It was a reminder that fashion's future may lie not in making more noise, but in looking more closely, finding subtle possibilities in nature, tradition and the quiet precision of exceptional design.

See more highlights from the Issey Miyake IM Men Spring/Summer 2027 collection in Paris