In an interview after his fall 2018 show, Demna Gvasalia, the current creative director at Balenciaga, told Dazed: “We live in a world that is full of references, and references exist to feed us, but not to feed us in order to copy — they feed us in order to create something new from it.” This season, that attitude was everywhere. The fashion audience has never been more sophisticated, and designers are having a blast mixing and mashing ideas — and mining our collective unconscious.
Carrie Bradshaw Meets Carlton Meets Punk Rocker
Rather than paying homage to archival Balenciaga pieces, as he’s done in the past, Demna Gvasalia was more interested in pulling from contemporary cultures this season.
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1. A hoodie tied around the shoulders combines preppy culture (see Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and streetwear.
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2. Quilted bags are a status symbol most often associated with Chanel. Gvasalia covered his in key chains and the house logo.
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3. Zip-off tartan heritage plaid pants look like a cross between basketball shorts and a golfing uniform.
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4. Carrie Bradshaw wore a similar John Galliano newspaper dress in Sex and the City 2, but Balenciaga’s version is more concerned with what Gvasalia described as “fake good news.”
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5. Oversize spikes on red patent-leather pumps are punk-slash-porn-star fetish.
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Caveman Meets Johnny Carson
The set of Gucci’s show resembled an ancient map, with the collection passing through all borders, real or imagined. “Resist the illusion of something new at any cost,” read Alessandro Michele’s show notes.
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1. Traditional Japanese kasa straw hat.
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2. 1980s synth- pop rhinestone sunglasses.
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3. Dog-collar bondage necklace.
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4. Caveman tiger-tooth necklace.
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5. Oversize men’s suit with a checked 1970s pattern.
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6. Gucci logo bag that was popular in the 1970s.
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7. Macramé lace maxi-dress like one worn by Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby.
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Old Hollywood Meets the Met Gala Meets the Muppets
In his show notes, Marc Jacobs described the collection as a “reimagining of seasons past somewhere beyond the urban landscape of New York City.”
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1. Silk turbans by Stephen Jones were a self-referential nod to Kate Moss’s Marc Jacobs look at the 2009 Met Gala.
Patrick McMullan
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2. Old Hollywood cat’s-eye makeup reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Cleopatra.’
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3. Tacky 1960s floral wallpaper print.
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4. Black gloves like those worn by Charlotte Rampling in ‘The Night Porter.’
Everett Collection/Courtesy Everett Collection
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5. Tinsel stole that could be its own Muppets character.
Louis XVI Meets Cyberpunk Meets Track Star
Nicolas Ghesquière, who staged his show at the Louvre’s Pavillon de l’Horloge, demonstrated how a French girl does time travel.
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1. Futuristic Pink Lady cat’s-eye sunglasses.
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2. White blouse fit for either Jack Sparrow or Jerry Seinfeld.
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3. Embroidered waistcoats that would satisfy Louis XVI.
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4. Luxurious silk running shorts and chunky fashion sneakers.
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5. The “Twist PM” bag is the latest version of Louis Vuitton’s classic key lock.
IMAXtree/Armando Grillo
Rockabilly Meets New Wave
Miuccia Prada has always had a way of conjuring fashion’s favorite contradiction: jolie laide, or “pretty ugly.”
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1. Boyish pixie haircut with Audrey Hepburn bangs.
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2. A pink rockabilly dress worn over a sleeveless men’s shirt makes this look seem like a prom dress Duckie and Andie collaborated on in Pretty in Pink.
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3. Baggy men’s pants worn under a dress hark back to 1990s grunge.
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4. A belted school-book bag.
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5. Traditional tasseled oxfords were embellished with punk studs and given a witchlike pointy toe.
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Warhol Meets Haring Meets Arcimboldo
Art was used as more than just inspiration this season.
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Rei Kawakubo Photoshopped the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter known for his portraits made of vegetables and fruit, together with Dutch still lifes of flowers, which she warped to fit over bulbous dresses and skirts.
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As a tribute to Gianni Versace for the 20th anniversary of his death, Donatella Versace resurrected his ’90s Pop Art dress featuring Andy Warhol’s prints of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
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Designer Natacha Ramsay-Levi channeled Parisian boho via what looked like Pennsylvania Dutch folk art.
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In keeping with the late art historian Linda Nochlin’s question “Why have there been no great women artists?” — which Maria Grazia Chiuri printed across a shirt for spring — the designer included an homage to Niki de Saint Phalle.
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Raf Simons had Andy Warhol’s 5 Deaths print silk-screened onto a top, pairing it with equally gory references, like a gauze hospital gown and body-bag-esque black coat.
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Stuart Vevers, who remembers being inspired by the work of Keith Haring as a child, included the artist’s ’80s graffiti-style prints all over his collection, a nod to both Americana and downtown New York.
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Missoni’s signature colorful knitwear prints resembled the bold lines of Sol LeWitt this season.
Horror Meets Drama Meets Fantasy
Models looked like characters from your favorite films this season, from The Shining to Flashdance. Thom Browne even played a song from The Little Mermaid.
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Jun Takahashi cast real-life identical twins, above, to model the final look in his collection, which was inspired by The Shining. His collection in general pays tribute to Cindy Sherman.
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A cutoff sweatshirt plus short shorts and leg warmers make this look more Flashdance than Black Swan.
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A green military jacket like the one Grace Kelly wore in Mogambo.
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Rihanna brought high-heel flip-flops to the runway with this Miami Beach meets Blue Crush collection.
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Thom Browne provided the perfect Halloween costume in the form of a skeleton dress à la Donnie Darko and Karate Kid.
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Thom Browne provided the perfect Halloween costume in the form of a skeleton dress à la Donnie Darko and Karate Kid.
*This article appears in the February 5, 2018, issue of New York Magazine.