As NYFW comes to a close and we start sorting through the runway looks to make sense of the season ahead, now is as good a time as any to reflect on the fashion past. We dug into the photo archives for some of the most iconic runway moments of the past few years. From theatrical set design to almost-literally stunning accessories, here are fifteen fashion moments we haven't been able to get out of our minds.
Iconic Runway Moments
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Alexander McQueen Fall 2011
Elaborating on the morbid McQueen aesthetic, Sarah Burton sent a ghostly procession of ice queens (along with some of the black leather harness looks that are de rigueur for the brand).
Kate Middleton married into the Royal family wearing a McQueen gown shortly after Burton's haunting runway show.
Image via IMAXtree
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Chanel Couture Spring 2013
A new classic. An insta-icon. Couture shows customarily close with a bridal look, but to show his support for the gay marriage equality law in France, designer Karl Lagerfeld closed the Chanel show with two couture-clad brides.
Image via IMAXtree
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Chanel Spring 2013
Another Karl moment: the designer showed the brand new Chanel hula hoop beach bag. The accessory made its way across the internet before making its way to prime time: Anderson Cooper presented a mock version of the bag to Alexa Chung as a gift and The New York Times wrote a big hula hooping trend piece.
Image via IMAXtree
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Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2013
Maybe the single most-talked about moment at New York Fashion Week last season. After sending her models down the runway accessorized with the Google Goggles, Diane Von Furstenberg herself closed out the show wearing the high-tech eyewear. Google co-founder Sergey Brin joined her for the walk.
Image via IMAXtree
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Dior Couture Fall 2012
Raf Simons' Dior couture debut was probably the most highly-anticipated runway event in recent fashion history. The designer introduced his vision for the legendary fashion house, an approach he calls, "the new couture."
Image via IMAXtree
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Emmanuel Ungaro Spring 2010
Tabloid punching bag Lindsay Lohan and Spanish designer Estrella Archs took the ultimate walk of shame down the runway after their disasterous presentation of the Emmanuel Ungaro Spring 2010 line.
Image via Getty
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Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2011
Plus-sized singer Beth Ditto launched her fashion career at John Paul Gaultier. The punky performer followed her high profile runway appearance by covering the premiere issue of LOVE magazine.
Image via Getty
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Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Spring 2013
Another insta-icon. While Karl Lagerfeld was busy making statements about gay marriage, Jean Paul Gaultier used the closing bridal look at his Spring 2013 Couture show to sneak a quartet of children onto the runway in a skirt. The photo obliterated the Internet in like, four seconds.
Image via IMAXtree
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Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2013
One of the most theatrical designers around, when Jean Paul Gaultier dressed Karlie Kloss as Boy George at his pop star-inspired Spring 2013 show, he seared the image into our memories 4 life.
Image via IMAXtree
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Louis Vuitton Spring 2013
Marc Jacobs taught us a valuable lesson at his Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 show: you can't go wrong an elaborate carousel set.
Image via IMAXtree
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Zac Posen Spring 2013
Zac Posen closes out his Spring 2013 show with both new guard top model Coco Rocha and OG supermodel Naomi Campbell by his side — the former wears a dramatic tiered wedding gown. Talk about a power strut.
Image via IMAXtree
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Alexander McQueen Spring 2010
This is when the world met Alexander McQueen's now legendary armadillo shoes. A moment rivaled maybe only by the invention of the light bulb.
Image via WENN
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Thierry Mugler Fall 2011
Love Lady Gaga or hate her, I'm sure you didn't ignore her when she smoke-danced her way down Thierry Mugler's Fall runway.
Image via IMAXtree
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Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2012
Leandra Medina a.k.a The Man Repeller fulfilled the promise of the Internet when she took a selfie while walking down the runway at Rebecca Minkoff.
Image via IMAXtree
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Marc Jacobs and Tama Janowitz at Betsey Johnson 1995
Ultimate New York cool kids Marc Jacobs and Brat Pack author Tama Janowitz took the ultimate jealousy-inducing runway walk.
Image via Getty
