2022 was a year full of high highs, and low lows. But, after fashion was reduced to the virtual space during the pandemic – this year marks a turning point, as the collective fashion weeks went even harder than before. An element of performance was breathed into shows – bringing back the spectacle of fashion, which cemented the likes of Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler as true artistic visionaries back in the day. Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress at the Coperni Spring 2023 show caused some serious commotion, and Diesel leaned also into spectacle with their ‘girl in red’. Other moments were crafted up to be more unsettling, rather than dazzling – such as Gucci’s Twinsburg, and Dilara Findikoglu’s eerily silent runway. Either way, there’s no denying that runway is back, baby!

Head below to see our picks…

Starting off red-hot, we’ll lead with Diesel’s golden girl Ella Snyder. Diesel has re-emerged in the cultural consciousness as the brand of the moment. With creative director Glenn Martens at the helm, everyone has been lapping up Diesel’s knack for re-imagining denim, creating a fantasy, and steering the course of the Y2K trend. Diesel took imagination to a whole new level with this particular look in their FW22 runway in February. Diesel’s muse, Ella Snyder, sauntered down the runway in full glitter-red body paint. Looking, quite literally, out of this world – she was a pure vision; this is exactly the energy we’re here for!

Peter Do’s pieces have been lauded by critics and fashion fans alike for his redefinition of masculinity. Trained by none other than Phoebe Philo at Celine, Do’s eponymous label is breathing new life into fashion. It’s just as classic as it is subversive, and the backless men’s suits at his SS23 show are the proof in the pudding. While backless garments are a staple of women’s fashion, in men’s fashion they are few and far between. The attention to detail is insanely striking – with matching backless ruffled shirts peeking through underneath. It’s sensual, and fun, but also kind of daring. Do your thing, Do!

If we’re talking about iconic runway fashion moments, we couldn’t not mention the Coperni spray-on dress spectacle; Miss Bella Hadid had people shook! It was all anyone could ever talk about – and for good reason. Using Fabrican, a specially designed liquid which dries in Latex form, technicians crafted up a white dress right in front of the attendees eyes. It undeniably brought back the art of spectacle, which has arguably been lost in fashion. Calling to mind the Alexander McQueen SS99 spray paint dress, or the Hussein Chalayan SS16 dissolving dress – this was the secret ingredient to set fashion aflame with a sense of magic again.

Speaking of spectacles, Gucci brought the fire with their SS23 show ‘Twinsburg’. Sending twins down the runway, hand in hand, creative director Alessandro Michele was inspired by his twin mothers. Surrounded by double the love, Michele paid homage to them through this show. It without a doubt heightened the surreality of the collection, also calling to mind the unsettling twins from The Shining. It’s not the first time twins have graced the runway, with the Japanese brand Undercover’s Spring 2004 runway also featuring womb-buddies. Nevertheless, it’s cool to see this kind of theatricality within fashion again. And it got people talking!

Last up is fashion’s ‘enfant terrible’ Dilara Findikoglu. Wielding a wealth of artistic inspiration, from Victorian gothic to Italian horror films – Findikoglu is emerging as one of fashion’s shining designing talents. Her Spring 2023 runway show was especially critically acclaimed, which comes as no surprise at all. The designer struck a balance between revealing and concealing, wherein layered meshes, fabrics, and corsets gave way to punk-esque sensibilities and black leather. The most striking feature of her show, however, was the fact that there was no music at all. Attendees sat in silence, while the click-clacking of the models’ heels was the only sound being made. It added an intensity, and maybe it was even a bit unsettling – but as we’ve come to realise, the best shows create an atmosphere.