Another season of fashion shows has now wrapped, with the spring/summer 2023 collections debuting in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
After the past two years of pandemic-related disruptions and cancellations, we were treated to a relatively normal month of shows – aside from in London, which coincided with the official period of national mourning, following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. While shows from the likes of Harris Reed, Erdem and Christopher Kane went ahead, a number had to be rearranged due to closures in the capital, particularly on the day of the funeral itself.
But it was business as usual in the other three cities. In New York, we had Fendi celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic Baguette, alongside the latest collections from Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger and Tom Ford, while in Milan we had Kim Kardashian collaborating with Dolce & Gabbana, Paris Hilton making a surprise appearance at Versace and Kate Moss walking exclusively for Bottega Veneta. The bulk of the shows culminated in Paris, with the newest collections from Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton.
As usual, there were a handful of brands that opted to show away from the main schedule, holding standalone events – like Ralph Lauren, which travelled to California for the first time; Alexander McQueen, which held a riverside spectacle in Greenwich; and Celine, which showed its Y2k-inspired collection against the Saint Tropez sea.
Below, see catwalk highlights from the spring/summer 2023 collections:
Celine
The originator of Indie Sleaze himself, Hedi Slimane, took us back to the year 2000 for his spring/summer 2023 Celine show. Set against the sunny backdrop of Saint Tropez – where Slimane has lived for the past five years – the collection was a nostalgic look back at Y2k style, complete with biker boots, waistcoats and mini skirts, plus, of course, the skinny jean, which the designer first popularised in the early Noughties.
As for the music? Slimane reunited with Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, two musicians that he dressed regularly during the 2000s, and the models stomped along the seafront to music by The Libertines.
Ralph Lauren
For its spring/summer 2023 show, Ralph Lauren ventured – for the first time – to California, presenting the collection at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino.
“I have always been inspired by the natural beauty, the heritage, and glamour of the West Coast of America,” Lauren said. “California has always been a land of dreams and contradictions—rugged coasts and red carpets. For the first time ever, I bring my dream of living here, sharing my worlds in an experience that celebrates a way of life I have always believed in — a mix of grit and glamour, energy and inspiration.”
Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen continued to show off the official fashion week schedule, choosing to present its spring/summer 2023 collection this week in Greenwhich, where it erected a giant show bubble, right on the Thames. The collection, entitled ‘First Sight’ was inspired by the work of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, while the team stripped back the clothes, focussing on “cut, drape and silhouette”.
“This collection is about searching for humanity and human connection,” creative director Sarah Burton said. “The eye is a symbol of that humanity, a register of emotion, an expression
of uniqueness. Our clothes are designed to empower. They are stripped back, dissected and focused on cut, drape and silhouette. We also looked at the work of Hieronymus Bosch, at once dark and beautiful.”
Roksanda
Having delayed its original London Fashion Week show due to the death of the Queen, Roksanda presented its spring collection at the Serpentine on sunny autumnal morning. The collection, as colourful and impactful as ever, was centred around the rose. “Taking the symbol of roses with all its meanings, symbolism and above all dualities,” the house explained. “Roses are appointed at births, taken to weddings, and put on a grave. Dresses have been framed with falling black ribbons, fluid and feminine yet disturbing, interrupting the shape of something serious.”
Louis Vuitton
Nicolas Ghesquière played with proportions for the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2023 collection, in an examination of the complexity of femininity. The designer zoomed in on details like zips, pockets, buckles and clasps – all key motifs of the brand’s DNA – experimenting with scale and magnifying unexpected accents, bringing “the infinitely large and the infinitely small together”.
The models – led by Squid Game star and Vuitton ambassador HoYeon Jung – marched around a pulsating ‘monster flower’ in the centre of the set, created by guest artist Philippe Parreno, in a dramatic display that marked the end of a month of catwalk shows.
Miu Miu
FKA Twigs closed the SS23 Miu Miu show on the final day in Paris, set against a digital artwork installation created by Chinese artist Shuang Li, which was inspired by the concept of digital messaging.
“The seemingly wireless cloud is supported by tens of thousands of kilometres of undersea cabling which populates the ocean floor,” explained the show notes. “Shuang Li’s work explores this tension between the material and the immaterial, and the obfuscation thereof. The physical bodies of what we commonly think of as immaterial material sent via digital platforms. The messages lost in transmission do not just disappear, but rather, imagined here, can take on another form, punctuating the sky.”
Chanel
Chanel’s spring/summer 2023 show, titled Allure, opened with a black and white fashion film starring Kristen Stewart, who was also sat on the front row.
“What is the allure that we spontaneously associate with Chanel, that traverses all eras and is embodied in ours by Kristen Stewart…?” the show notes read. “Anyone who has come across Kristen Stewart, knows how she stands with innate elegance and intelligence on the razor’s edge of her era; on both sides is the abyss, where she stands is allure.”
The resulting collection was inspired by this concept of allure; the link between fashion, film and the arts; and a woman’s freedom to be both herself and yet constantly new. Just like Chanel.