Throwback To The 14 Biggest Fashion Moments of 2016

1. Karl Lagerfeld pulled out all the stops to ensure Fendi‘s 90th-anniversary celebrations were larger than life. He transformed Rome’s magnificent Trevi Fountain into a translucent runway which created the illusion of models walking on water.

2. There were some delightful celebrity-brand collaborations this year, and we have our favourites! Kenzo X H&M brought out our wild side with their psychedelic stripes, Tommy X Gigi which was personally co-designed by model Gigi Hadid, gave us holiday cheer with its breezy vibes and Rihanna X Manolo demonstrated that boots are a perfectly acceptable substitute for pants.

3. New York lost a little of its spark this year when photographer Bill Cunningham passed away in June. He was a regular on the streets of New York, producing photos with deep visual character. The corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th street, which was Cunningham’s favourite place for candid portraits, was temporarily renamed to ‘Bill Cunningham Corner’ for a week to honour the photographer.

4. While Bollywood actresses making appearances on international red carpets is no new development, 2016 saw them eschew traditional fashion for bolder sartorial choices. At Cannes this year, Sonam Kapoor sashayed down the carpet in a Ralph & Russo gown which had a sari-inspired train. Aishwarya Rai made a brave effort with bright purple lips, though a subtler shade would have been a more prudent alternative.

5. With fashion being more inclusive of global cultures and their underlying diversity, New York Fashion Week welcomed Indonesian designer Anniesa Hasibuan whose collection featured hijabs on the runway. Not only was she the first Indonesian to show at one of the official NYFW venues – Moynihan Station, but also the first to include the traditional Muslim headscarf on the runway. Dolce & Gabbana also launched their abaya collection earlier this year with a range of abayas and hijabs in its signature colourful prints.

6. After 25 years of heading Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri quit the fashion house to take the helm at Dior as the brand’s first ever female creative director. True to her own feminist beliefs, her first show at Paris Fashion Week had models sporting slogan T-shirts bearing the title of Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk ‘We should all be feminists’.

7. In her eight years as First Lady, Michelle Obama has taken sartorial risks on various occasions, none of which have missed the mark. For her final state dinner at the White House, she dazzled in a custom made, rose gold, chainmail Atelier Versace gown.

8. It definitely made sense for Marc Jacobs to want Lady Gaga on his Fall 2016 runway simply because they share a bold (and brazen) sense of style. The surprise appearance was Gaga’s first outing on the ramp, though she took to it like a natural, going so far as to claim how she was disappointed that the shoes weren’t taller.

9. Louis Vuitton‘s Spring 2016 womenswear campaign saw Jaden Smith in a pleated skirt amongst three female models. Gender-free clothing and individuality were two of fashion’s biggest themes this year and it was refreshing to see the traditional house effectively take the plunge.

10. To say Gigi Hadid had a great year would be an understatement. The 21-year-old model has done it all this year – from walking the runway for Fendi, Balmain and Moschino among others to successfully hosting the American Music Awards. She wrapped up a successful 2016 by winning the International Model of the Year at the London Fashion Awards where she wore a stunning silver jumpsuit with a train by Atelier Versace.

11. What happens when the country’s favourite designer and the world’s favourite shoemaker join forces? Taking Indian fashion to a whole new level, Sabyasachi and Christian Louboutin created a beautiful marriage of the latter’s trademark vertiginous heels embroidered with Sabyasachi’s signature silver and bronze stitchwork.

12. Burberry spearheaded the see now, buy now movement with its show at London Fashion Week, heralding a new era for the industry in which patrons could get their hands on ‘seasonless’ items immediately after they were presented on the runway. Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren followed suit by unveiling instantly shoppable collections shortly after.

13. Bella Hadid hasn’t been too far behind her sister in terms of taking the fashion industry by storm. She made appearances on an impressive number of runways besides walking for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last month. Her most audacious moment at Cannes 2016 saw her pull of a risqué red gown by Alexandre Vauthier Couture effortlessly.

14. You can always count on Chanel to put on a spectacle and the fashion house did not disappoint this year. The Grand Palais was transformed into the ‘Data Centre Chanel’, where Karl Lagerfeld sent out an SS17 ready-to-wear collection themed around the idea of technology, staging a show that saw robot-like models take to the catwalk.