From Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress to Heidi Klum’s turn as worm, the year in fashion would blow the head off a Victorian child
Congratulations! Whether you strode with ease or painfully crawled over miles of broken glass, you’ve successfully made it to the end of another year. What a year it’s been, now that life is back to normal (read: returned to the regular COVID-free hellscape).
As always, in fashion, there was a lot going on. Shows were back, then some weren’t when L*z popped her clogs. There were debuts, farewells, deaths, and a LOT of bad (no, really) and boring red carpet looks. There were great moments too, both on and off the runway, unexpected plot twists, and moments that are so weird, we’re going to pretend they didn’t even happen.
If you happened to miss the tornado of social media posts, news articles, viral moments, and tweets that would blow the head off a Victorian child or if you’re just a glutton for punishment, we’ve helpfully rounded up the wildest fashion moments of 2022 below.
Here’s to an even more chaotic 2023!
THE PRADADDIES
A throwback to Prada’s AW12 menswear show – which featured Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Bell alongside the cohort of models – the brand’s AW22 menswear show similarly featured faces from the world of cinema. This time around it was the turn of Kyle MacLachlan, Ashton Sanders, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Jeff Goldblum to appear, prowling the mustard-coloured runway that was sustainably reused for the women’s show (sadly, sans daddies). Goldblum did double daddy duty reprising his role for the accompanying AW22 campaign – photographed by David Sims – joined by Rami Malek and model Damson Idris.
COPERNI BLASTS BELLA
If you missed this one, you’re probably living under a rock on Pluto, because this moment was everywhere. Picture this, fashion arrives at Coperni’s SS23 show and the looks begin to come down the runway: slinky figure-hugging dresses, cute sets of micro minis, the egg bag (this time rendered in 24k gold) – so far, so Coperni. Then, a semi-naked Bella Hadid emerges, hand coyly placed across her breasts, to stand on a platform where she’s sprayed with futuristic guns by two scientists. Before your eyes, the paint (actually a special polymer developed by Spanish company Fabrican) becomes fabric! The fabric becomes a chic dress! And then Bella sissies the runway in the chic dress! The moment is over, in just seven minutes. Whether or not you’re into fashion show gimmicks, this was undeniably one for the history books.
GUCCI CAME OUT IN DEFENCE OF GEMINI RIGHTS
How many sets of twins do you think there are in Milan? With confidence, we can say at least 95 following the SS23 shows in September. Whether it was predestined by the fashion gods, a plot by the Geminis of the world, or a pure coinkydink, twins made runway appearances at both Gucci and Sunnei’s shows – on the very same day. First up, Gucci – unbeknownst as Alessandro Michele’s penultimate collection (more on that later) – which featured 68 twins in a touching ode to his mother, a twin. Later that day, Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina presented their latest collection, featuring an additional 27 twins – one of which sprung out from the audience before entering a revolving door and revealing the second twin in a completely different outfit. Just like magic!
BALENCIAGA-GATE
While 2022 saw a number of brilliant Balenciaga moments – Demna’s powerful AW22 ode to Ukraine, and sophomore Couture collection featuring cameos from Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Christine Quinn, and Nicole Kidman – it was the recent head-scratching misstep that left a lasting impression. Back to back controversial campaigns, first its holiday campaign caused a commotion for featuring children holding bondage-wearing teddy bears from the brand’s SS23 show. The campaign was pulled immediately, but to add further insult to injury, eagle-eyed fanatics spotted documents in the background of another campaign that noted the Supreme Court’s decision on child pornography. Inciting the ire of Twitter, Fox News, right wing conspiracy theorists, and leaving Midwestern moms clutching their pearls, the controversies seemingly reignited the Satanic Panic of the 80s. While the brand has taken responsibility and apologised, with Twitter (and beyond) still foaming at the mouth over this, something tells us that the saga isn’t over yet.
KIM K WAS HAUNTED BY MARILYN MONROE
Another year, another Met Gala – this time themed: Gilded Glamour. While the majority struggled – quelle surprise – some, Emma Corrin, Evan Mock, Paloma Elsesser, and Billie Eilish, got the memo. Kim Kardashian, who was dressed for an entirely different era, appeared in Marilyn Monroe’s dress that she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F Kennedy in 1962 – raising eyebrows when she revealed that she lost 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into it. Despite the extreme measures, Kardashian allegedly caused ‘irreparable’ damage to the dress after wearing it for only 20 minutes (she wore a replica for the rest of the evening) – leaving it missing crystals, with the fabric stretched. The internet was oddly incensed about a dress that had been gathering dust at Ripley’s Believe It or Not archives since 2016. Having a hand in the original – alongside designer Jean Louis, only Bob Mackie’s opinion means anything. His thoughts: “Nobody else should be seen in that dress.”
LINDA EVANGELISTA’S BIG COMEBACK
Supreme of the supermodels Linda Evangelista made a return to fashion – her first appearance since acquiring Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia, following a ‘fat freezing’ treatment she underwent in 2015. Appearing in Fendi’s Baguette campaign, we now know it was a teaser for her runway appearance months later at the brand’s Resort 2023 show – a celebration of the iconic bag’s 25th anniversary. And there’s more! Miss Evangelista came back to claim her territory on the cover of British Vogue, her first Vogue cover since 2014 – photographed by Steven Meisel, naturally.
GLENN MARTENS’ FASHION WEEK HAT-TRICK
With the pandemic firmly in our rearview mirror, fashion has dialled designers’ hamster wheels up to 200 and runway shows are back and bigger than ever. For Glenn Martens, the start of the year saw him put out three collections in the space of two weeks for Y/Project, Diesel, and Jean Paul Gaultier Couture. Each individual outing a home run (sorry for all of the sports references), the incredible run was best exemplified by a dress I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I saw it – and absolutely done justice by Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars – a JPG turtleneck gown with cascades of emerald duchesse silk.
CHER!!!
As a queer person, I’m prone to overuse the word iconic, but this was I-CON-IC. Cher, legend and unproblematic fave, graced PFW with her presence – closing Balmain’s SS23 show in a spandex bodysuit and platforms, accompanied by designer Olivier Rousteing. A moment only made better by this tweet. The next day, she appeared on the FROW at the Palais de Tokyo for Rick Owens’ latest collection – wearing a punk plaid skirt-trouser combo with a Fedora (mind your business, she’s Cher bitch!).
YZY SZN 9
Lynette Nylander said everything that needed to be said, so let’s not waste time talking about it any further!
IN MEMORIAM: ISSEY MIYAKE, ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY, THIERRY MUGLER
2022 sadly saw the passing of a number of fashion legends. In January, during Paris Fashion Week, beloved Vogue editor and icon André Leon Talley passed away aged 73. A pioneer for representation long before it was on trend. The Gospel According to André Leon Talley is a must-watch over the holidays for the full breadth of his impact. A few weeks later, designer Thierry Mugler died – leaving behind a legacy as one of fashion’s greatest showmen and a lesser-known photography career. Then, in August, Issey Miyake – the Prince of Pleats – died aged 84. An innovator in the 80s, alongside Japanese peers Rei Kawakubo and Kansai Yamamoto, one only needed to don his buoyant concertinaed creations to understand his genius. They will all be missed.
HEIDI KLUM BECAME A WORM
In addition to being famous for saying “auf wiedersehen”, Heidi Klum is also known for her outlandish Halloween costumes. Over the past two decades, she’s been an ape, an old lady, Jessica Rabbit, a skinless human body, Fiona from Shrek, a werewolf, and a clone of herself. Finally giving us an answer to the burning question on everyone’s mind: “Would you still love me if I was a worm?”, this year Klum turned up as a terrifying, giant earthworm. Mike Marino, the wizard behind the worm and some of Klum’s other Halloween creations, told Dazed that the idea was conceived during the pandemic and took three months to make.
PARIS HILTON SLIVING HER BEST VERSACE LIFE
The runner-up for celebrity cameo of the year (see: ‘CHER!’ above) hot girl heiress, DJ, and NFT queen Paris Hilton bounced down the runway, closing Versace’s SS23 show. A nod to Kate Moss’ bridal look from Gianni Versace’s AW95 show, the mogul donned a mesh mini dress in hot pink with matching gloves, veil, and bitch pumps.
VIRGIL ABLOH TOOK HIS FINAL BOW
Following his tragic passing at the end of last year, Virgil Abloh bid his final farewell to fashion with a series of posthumous collections. In January, Abloh’s last menswear collection for Louis Vuitton debuted – a touching show that summed up his mischievous and childlike approach to fashion. Then in March, the designer’s final collection for Off-White debuted – featuring a whole gang of Supers: Cindy! Naomi! Amber! Mariacarla! Helena! A brilliant send-off for a brilliant designer. With the founding of Virgil Abloh Securities, an umbrella company uniting his ventures, created by wife Shannon Abloh, Virgil’s legacy looks like it will live on into 2023 and beyond.
ALESSANDRO SAID ARRIVEDERCI
Don’t cry for me Alessandro. After over two decades at Gucci – the past seven at the helm as creative director – last month, Michele announced that he’d be leaving the Italian house. “Together with them I have wished, dreamed, imagined. Without them, none of what I have built would have been possible,” the designer said in a statement, thanking his colleagues and collaborators over the years. While a successor is yet to be named, Michele will present his final collection for the house in January – expect a GGiantic send off.
METAVERSE FASHION WEEK GLITCHED INTO FOCUS
In the future, there will be flying cars, they said. Instead, 2022 saw the debut of the first Metaverse Fashion Week – an event that promised runway shows, events, and parties with over 60 brands taking part. The reality, a glitchy, empty digital dead zone that brands failed to utilise to its full potential – the models were all skinny still! Despite technical hiccups, MVFW’s founders believe it’ll only get bigger and better next time around so watch this space.
JULIA THEE FOX
Is there anybody more famous than Julia Fox at the moment? In the words of a wise woman: “She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment.” Her signature beauty looks are appearing on the runway, she’s appeared in campaigns for Supreme and KNWLS, her looks (whether styled or self-made) have us in a Han Kjøbenhavn chokehold, and her TikTok musings are free therapy. Somebody get her a reality show in 2023!
RAF SAID GOODBYE TO RAF
On November 21, fashion’s heart skipped a beat as commemorative posts for Raf Simons began to appear across social media. While the man himself is thankfully still with us, the wave of posts signalled the end of Raf Simons, the designer’s eponymous brand that launched in 1995. Culminating with a final romper-filled rave held at London’s Printworks, the brand has been a mainstay while the designer has hopped from Jil Sander to Dior to Calvin Klein to Prada, a uniform for fashion fanatics. Forget the Boxing Day sales, and start scanning Grailed for pieces for your archive.
RIHANNA INVENTED PREGNANCY
Finding time in her busy schedule to have a baby – she’ll do just about anything to avoid releasing #R9 – Rihanna’s pregnancy reveal ripped up the rulebook previously set by the likes of Beyoncé, Demi Moore, and Kylie Jenner. Referencing Madonna’s Like a Prayer album cover, the ex-singer stepped out in a vintage Chanel AW96 pink puffer – opened at the waist to reveal la bump. The look was just the beginning in a slew of hot and often delightfully skimpy pregnancy fits courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Coperni, Dior, Gucci, Y/Project, and this vintage Roberto Cavalli coat of dreams. Simultaneously redefining maternity wear and convincing us all to have children.
DARING DEBUTS
While 2022 saw a number of exciting debuts – Maximilian for Salvatore Ferragamo, Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta, and Ronan Mckenzie’s Selasi among them – the standouts were Chopova Lowena and Karoline Vitto. The former, a brand well-known for its chic carabiner skirts, whose riotous runway of tearaways stomped and marched in folksy fits and incredible tinsel shoes. The latter, a first outing under the Fashion East umbrella for the Brazilian designer that was, in the words of Dazed’s fashion features director Emma Davidson, ‘A seismic moment for fat representation.’ The show saw Vitto build on the foundation she began at Central Saint Martins, featuring sculptural dresses with cutouts and curving metal accoutrements that squish and accentuate the areas of the body that larger people are told to hide. We can’t wait to see what 2023 holds for all of these designers.
PLT AT LFW :(
In an embarrassing ploy for relevance, Pretty Little Thing ‘joined’ London Fashion Week in February – unofficially, as the British Fashion Council wouldn’t allow otherwise. The show itself doesn’t warrant typing about, but outside the venue a demonstration took place, organised by sustainable fashion campaigner Venetia La Manna and Oh So Ethical, to highlight all the bad things that PLT and its parent company Boohoo have done over the years (namely this, this, and this). “We staged the demo to demand that (Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo) pay their garment workers fair living wages, recognise their unions, and commit to a drastic reduction in output,” La Manna said at the time. While the protest remained outside, we’d give a kidney to have a repeat of this iconic fashion moment at the next PLT show.