Fashion shows, at their worst, are a slog, particularly if the runway is lackluster. What “they” (The Man) don’t tell you so much is that getting to and from a fashion show is often much longer and more complicated than the actual show, never mind actually getting inside and finding your seat amid a scrum of people and paparazzi pushing you aside to shoot the obligatory FROWing celebrities. Add the baditutes and thirst of attendees to the excitement of seeing a runway show that usually lasts for about 15 minutes, and it can really kill your excitement. If the fashion sucks, too? Forget it.
At their best, fashion shows are fucking art. The ease of the internet and social media has made it so I never feel desperately sad if I miss a show I’m not covering for work, but today that changed unequivocally after I watched Anya Hindmarch’s Fall 2017 show, which she presented in London last week. Models in fur cossack caps, sandals and schoolgirl capes traipsed down a geometric mountain like well-appointed lemmings while a sneaky string section soundtracked their geometric runway walk. The set, so looming and thought-out, reminded me of another memorable experience I didn’t happen to miss—Kanye West’s Yeezus tour, which had a similar imposing cascade and impact. Was this Hindmarch’s funny little ode to the Himalayas, or simply an occasion to present some time-based art? Well, it was Swedish folk art, according to Vogue, and a beautiful little jaunt at that. Sad to miss it!