10 catwalk shows that kick-started a trend
Every six months, what we wear and when we wear it, is fought out on the catwalk stages of Paris, New York, Milan and London. WGSN presents the top 10 most influential designers who've had a consistent impact on the commercial market over the last decade.
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Prada autumn/winter 2004/05Prada: belted cardigan and embellished dress, autumn/winter 2004/05
Her vision may always be quirky, throwing a curveball every season, but Miuccia Prada can be relied on to present thought-provoking collections that will ultimately influence high street trends. Whether it was the lipstick-print skirt, jewelled embellishments, ladylike pussy-bow blouses, silhouette florals or virginal lace – you saw it and then probably wore it sometime in the last 10 years.
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Gucci spring/summer 2003Gucci: Japonesque printed jersey dress, spring/summer 2003
From polite horsey snaffle loafers to sex-on-legs, Tom Ford's reincarnation of the Gucci brand was one of the most dynamic in recent fashion history. Of all the top commercial trends in the last 10 years you probably saw it first on the Gucci catwalk – think slinky hipster pants, sexy thigh-high jersey dresses, the slickest biker jackets, corset belts and bustiers.
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Chloé spring/summer 2007Chloé: the iconic smock dress, spring/summer 2007
It might have been all sex-on-legs at Gucci, but Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo knew what made a girl feel feminine and flirty with their signature pretty smock dresses, boudoir camisoles, shorts and tailored jackets – not to mention the seasonal must-have It bags and shoes that have inspired a thousand lookalikes.
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Miu Miu spring/summer 2005Miu Miu: geometric print dress, spring/summer 2005
Offbeat colours, retro shapes and bold prints are the consistent hallmarks of a Miu Miu collection, guaranteed to impact on high-street trends in some small measure season after season. Here, 70s furnishing prints moved off the sofa and on to the runway in one of the strongest print directions of the last decade.
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marc by Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2004marc by Marc Jacobs: eclectic layering of the season's signature pieces, spring/summer 2004
The endless permutations on the military jacket, pea coats, striped tank tops, ruffled skirts, patchwork smocks, vintage-style blouses and utility detailing – staples of the coolhunter's wardrobe, all layered together in iconic Marc Jacobs style.
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Balenciaga autumn/winter 2007/08Balenciaga: the nautical/military jacket, autumn/winter 2007/08
Nicolas Ghesquière is a trendsetter without peer - where he leads, others follow. Whether he is experimenting with sculptural silhouettes, cocooning volume, overblown florals, scuba fabrics or reed-thin, space-age tailoring, his influence always filters down to mainstream trends a season or so later.
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D&G spring/summer 2000D&G: hot pants and coloured tights, spring/summer 2000
It's quite amazing to view this image and realise it is more than eight years old - it's still a mainstream look being worn globally. D&G inspire some of the most commercial trends on the high street. Whether it's this winter's passion for plaids, the romantic ruffles and florals for spring/summer 2008, folkloric dirndls or chunky knits, you saw them first on the D&G runway.
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Catwalks: Dior Homme spring/summer 2004Dior Homme: slick tailoring, spring/summer 2004
Hedi Slimane singlehandedly put the chic in Dior Homme's newly defined rock-chic silhouettes, changing the face of menswear with one snip of his scissors. Think lean and mean with sassy attitude. This is as sexy as menswear gets.
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Luella spring/summer 2001Luella: the graffiti print that launched a global trend, spring/summer 2001
Luella Bartley manages to imbue the latest key looks with an ineffable London cool and has been a trendsetter since she first hit the runways – think masculine/feminine tailoring, tailored denim, the print of the moment and the must-have dress of the season. And did we mention the bags?
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Burberry Prorsum autumn/winter 2005/6Burberry Prorsum: check cape, autumn/winter 2005/06
Christopher Bailey took a classic heritage brand, shook it up and gave us back a sexy uber-cool lifestyle concept that worked across the board. From iconic silhouettes to aspirational accessories - along with some of the edgiest advertising campaigns - Burberry Prorsum defines Brit-cool.
