Fashion

A full-scope history of fashion — from Egyptian linen and Roman togas through the medieval guilds and Versailles court, the birth of haute couture under Worth, Chanel's tweed, Dior's New Look, Saint Laurent's tuxedo, McQueen's spray-paint runway, Galliano's Dior, Demna's Vetements, and the streetwear era. Designers, garments, collections, and the moments that changed the silhouette.

A chronological documentary of 142 moments spanning c. 1500 BC–2026 on Loreline.

last updated 2026-07-16

1. c. 1500 BC — Tyrian Purple. Murex-snail dye from Phoenician Tyre. Pound-for-pound more expensive than gold; required 12,000 sea snails per gram. Reserved for emperors by Byzantine sumptuary law; the original luxury monopoly.
2. c. 130 BC — The Silk Road Opens. Chinese silk reaches Rome via the trans-Asian trade routes. Pliny the Elder complains it drains the empire of gold. Silk worm cultivation remained a Chinese state secret for 3,000 years until two monks smuggled eggs to Justinian in 552.
3. c. 100 BC — The Roman Toga. The toga — a single 5-metre wool semicircle wrapped around the body — was the legal uniform of Roman citizenship. Wearing one in public was prescribed by law; non-citizens were forbidden. The first garment to function as a passport.
4. 0600 — Byzantine Loros. The jewelled imperial loros of Byzantium — a 5-metre gold-embroidered silk stole worn by emperors and high officials. Required two attendants to put on. The visual template of "imperial dress" Europe would imitate for 1,200 years.
5. 1294 — Medieval Sumptuary Laws. Philip IV of France issues sumptuary laws — ermine for dukes, vair for counts, no silk for bourgeois wives. The medieval European norm: what you wear is dictated by who you are, by law. The legal scaffolding fashion would spend 500 years dismantling.
6. 1300 — Medieval Tailors' Guild. Paris's tailors' guild charter 1292 — 700+ master tailors registered. Apprenticeship system; the master-journeyman-apprentice ladder. The institutional ancestor of every haute couture maison.
7. 1490 — Italian Renaissance Velvet. Florentine and Venetian velvet-weavers — by 1490 the world's most expensive fabric. Pomegranate motifs, gold thread. Worn by Medicis, Borgias, the dukes painted by Titian and Bronzino. Italy dominates European textile prestige for 200 years.
8. 1530 — Henry VIII's Wardrobe. Henry VIII's 1530s court dress — broad shoulders padded with horsehair, slashed sleeves revealing coloured silk linings, codpieces. Defined English Tudor masculinity for a generation; established England's independent silhouette versus French + Spanish courts.
9. 1550 — Spanish Farthingale. The Spanish farthingale — a conical hoop skirt structured with wooden or whalebone hoops. Originated at the Castilian court c. 1470, dominated European female silhouette through the 1610s. The first European garment built around an internal architecture.
10. 1580 — The Elizabethan Ruff. Late Elizabethan ruffs — starched cartwheel collars up to 30 cm wide. Required hours of laundry-maid work and special "ruff irons." A walking display of leisure-class wealth. The era's most ridiculed fashion by the moralists.
11. 1660 — Louis XIV — Dress as Power. Louis XIV codifies court dress at Versailles — the justaucorps coat, the cravate, the high-heeled shoe (initially men's wear). Reaches such elaboration that French law forbids non-nobles from imitating it. France becomes Europe's fashion capital — and remains so for 365 years.
12. 1770 — Rose Bertin — First Celebrity Designer. Rose Bertin, "Minister of Fashion" to Marie Antoinette. Designed the Queen's wardrobe from her Rue Saint-Honoré shop. The first commoner-designer-as-celebrity in European history. Made the news, lost everything in 1789.
13. 1780 — Marie Antoinette's Chemise à la Reine. 1783. Marie Antoinette's portrait by Vigée Le Brun wearing a simple white muslin "chemise à la reine" caused a court scandal — too much like a peasant's shift. Foreshadowed the post-Revolution simplicity that would sweep court dress away.
14. 1795 — Directoire Empire Waist. Post-Revolution French dress: white muslin, high empire waist, Greek-revival simplicity. Madame Récamier and Joséphine de Beauharnais set the template. 200 years of court dress upended in five years.
15. 1799 — Beau Brummell. George Bryan "Beau" Brummell — the Regency dandy who invented the modern men's suit. Dark tailored coat, fitted breeches, immaculate linen, no jewellery, polished boots. The end of male peacockery; the beginning of the navy-blue-suit template that still rules men's formal dress.
16. 1851 — Singer Sewing Machine. 1851. Isaac Singer patents his sewing machine — first practical home machine. Within 30 years, every middle-class household has one. Demolished the cottage-tailor industry; created the ready-made clothing market.
17. 1856 — The Crinoline Cage. 1856. Patent for the steel-hoop crinoline cage. Skirts inflate to 1.8m diameter overnight; the most extreme silhouette of the 19th century. Lasted barely 12 years before the back-focused bustle replaced it.
18. 1858 — Charles Frederick Worth Opens. 1858. Charles Frederick Worth opens at 7 rue de la Paix, Paris. Established the haute couture system: live models, seasonal collections, designer-as-artist, signature labels in the garment. The first couturier in the modern sense; every Paris house since traces back to Worth.
19. 1870 — The Bustle Silhouette. 1870-1889. The bustle — a wire-cage cushion strapped to the rear. The silhouette goes from front-volume (crinoline) to back-volume. Dominates two decades; abandoned in the 1890s for the smooth Belle Époque hourglass.
20. 1873 — Levi Strauss Patents Riveted Jeans. May 20, 1873. Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent rivet-reinforced denim work pants. Originally for goldminers and labourers. By the 1950s — through James Dean and Marlon Brando — the universal symbol of American youth.
21. 1873 — Levi's 501 Jeans. May 20, 1873. Levi Strauss + Jacob Davis patent the rivet for blue-jean reinforcement. The 501 fly-button design dates from c. 1890. The most-worn garment in human history.
22. 1879 — Burberry Trench Coat. 1879. Thomas Burberry invents gabardine — water-resistant cotton. The Burberry trench becomes British WWI officer uniform; transitions to civilian fashion in the 1920s. The single most-imitated coat design in history.
23. 1892 — Sears Catalog. 1894. Sears, Roebuck mails its first general catalog. Brought factory-made clothes to rural America by mail. By 1900 — 1100 pages, 600,000 items. The first mass-market democratisation of fashion.
24. 1903 — Poiret's Hobble Skirt. (1908-1914) — so narrow at the ankle that women shuffled. The defining "anti-corset but new-constraint" silhouette.
25. 1913 — Erté + Harper's Bazaar. 1913. Romain de Tirtoff ("Erté") begins illustrating for Harper's Bazaar. His Art Deco line — sinuous, jewel-encrusted — defined the visual language of 1910s-30s fashion illustration before photography fully replaced drawing.
26. 1916 — Chanel Jersey Garment. Soft, drapey, machine-knitted jersey — a men's undergarment fabric Chanel made elegant. The garment that began 20th-century ease.
27. 1917 — Cartier Tank Watch. 1917. Louis Cartier designs the Tank watch — inspired by the rectangular silhouette of WWI Renault FT tanks. JFK wore one, Andy Warhol famously wore one. Still the most-imitated rectangular-watch design.
28. 1921 — Chanel No. 5. May 5, 1921. Chanel No. 5 launched. First perfume to mass-use synthetic aldehydes; first "designer fragrance." Marilyn Monroe famously slept in nothing but five drops. Still the best-selling perfume in the world a century later.
29. 1922 — The Bias-Cut Gown. Vionnet's 1920s-30s bias-cut silk evening gowns — fabric cut diagonally so it drapes in fluid curves. Madonna's 1991 Met Gala dress, Galliano's 90s revivals, all descend from here.
30. 1926 — The Little Black Dress. October 1926. Vogue publishes a sketch of Chanel's minimal black crepe dress; calls it "Chanel's Ford" (after the universally-affordable Model T). The "little black dress" enters the fashion lexicon as the singular essential garment.
31. 1927 — Schiaparelli Lobster Dress. Schiaparelli x Dalí, 1937. White silk evening dress with a large lobster painted on the skirt by Dalí. Worn by Wallis Simpson in Cecil Beaton's Vogue portraits — the most-photographed Surrealist garment ever made.
32. 1930 — Hollywood Glamour — Adrian. 1930s. MGM costume designer Adrian (Adolphus Greenburg) dresses Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow. The bias-cut satin Hollywood gown — Adrian's 1932 Letty Lynton dress for Crawford was copied by Macy's and sold 500,000 units. Movies become the fashion-marketing engine.
33. 1939 — Mainbocher Corset. September 1939. Horst P. Horst photographs the "Mainbocher Corset" — back view of a woman lacing her corset, Paris collections. Published the week WWII broke out; became a defining image of "fashion as final luxury before catastrophe."
34. 1939 — The Corset. The 19th-century corset that fashion spent the whole 20th century undoing and re-adopting. Horst's 1939 "Mainbocher Corset" photograph caught it on the brink of disappearing — only to come back via Versace, Gaultier, Mugler.
35. 1941 — WWII Utility Clothing. 1941-1948. British Board of Trade introduces "Utility Clothing" — fabric rationing, mandated styles, simplified construction. The opposite of glamour for seven years. Bottled-up demand for opulence sets the stage for Dior's 1947 explosion.
36. 1952 — Givenchy Founds His House. 1952. Hubert de Givenchy opens at 8 rue de l'Alboni. His 1953 meeting with Audrey Hepburn becomes one of the great designer-muse partnerships of the century — Sabrina, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany's.
37. 1957 — Richard Avedon — Funny Face. 1957. Funny Face (Stanley Donen, with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire) — based on Richard Avedon's real-life Harper's Bazaar career. Codified the "fashion photographer as protagonist" archetype.
38. 1961 — Jackie Kennedy & Oleg Cassini. January 1961. Jackie Kennedy at JFK's inauguration in a fawn coat + pillbox hat designed by Halston (for inauguration day) and her main wardrobe by Oleg Cassini. Most photographed First Lady wardrobe ever; defined American style for a generation.
39. 1961 — Jackie's Pillbox Hat. The Halston-designed pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore to JFK's January 1961 inauguration. Spawned a decade of pillbox imitations; the small round structured hat became the visual signature of mid-century American femininity.
40. 1961 — Audrey Hepburn — Givenchy Dress. October 1961. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's wearing Givenchy's black satin column dress, pearls, sunglasses. The single most-copied costume in cinema history; defined "modern femininity" for two generations.
41. 1961 — Holly Golightly Black Dress. Givenchy's 1961 black satin column dress for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Single most-copied costume in cinema history; sold at auction for £467,200 in 2006.
42. 1962 — YSL Mondrian Dress. Yves Saint Laurent's autumn 1965 Mondrian collection — knee-length wool-jersey shift dresses with Piet Mondrian's red-blue-yellow grids. The most successful art-x-fashion collaboration to date; the Mondrian dress became the cover of Vogue, Life, Time.
43. 1963 — The Miniskirt. Mary Quant's 1963 miniskirt — initially 6 inches above the knee, by 1967 8 inches. The youth-quake garment of the 1960s; the first time mainstream women's fashion was driven by teenagers, not couture houses.
44. 1964 — Go-Go Boots. André Courrèges's 1964 white mid-calf flat-heeled "moon boots." The defining footwear of the 1960s space-age aesthetic; worn with Quant's miniskirts to complete the youth-quake silhouette.
45. 1966 — Twiggy. 1966. 16-year-old Lesley Hornby (Twiggy) named Face of the Year. 41-23-32 measurements; the first model to be world-famous on the basis of her thin, androgynous look. Defined 1960s beauty; the first "supermodel" in the modern sense.
46. 1966 — Shift Dress. The shift dress — straight-cut, sleeveless, knee-length — was the 1960s' anti-fitted alternative to the New Look hourglass. Twiggy's 1966-67 magazine covers in shifts defined the silhouette.
47. 1966-08 — Yves Saint Laurent — Le Smoking. 1966. YSL's "Le Smoking" — the tuxedo suit for women. Helmut Newton's 1975 Yves Saint Laurent campaign photograph of it became one of the most iconic fashion images ever shot. Did more than any single garment for women's power dressing.
48. 1968 — Halston Ultrasuede Shirtdress. Halston's 1972 Ultrasuede shirtdress — synthetic suede-like fabric, machine-washable, fluid. The defining American sportswear-couture hybrid of the 1970s; sold 60,000+ units.
49. 1969 — Mary Quant's Mini. 1963 onward. Mary Quant's mini-skirt — initially 6 inches above the knee, by 1967 8 inches. The youth-quake garment of the 1960s. Quant's daisy logo at her King's Road boutique became the visual signature of Swinging London. This photograph dates from 1969.
50. 1974 — Punk Fashion. Westwood + McLaren's SEX (1974) outfitted the Sex Pistols 1975-78: ripped t-shirts, bondage trousers, safety-pin couture, dog collars. The first widely-adopted anti-fashion subculture in mainstream Western dress.
51. 1975 — Kenzo Opens Jungle Jap. 1970. Kenzo Takada opens "Jungle Jap" in Paris — first major Japanese designer to break into the French establishment. Bright prints, ethnic mashups; opened the door for Kawakubo, Yamamoto, Miyake a decade later.
52. 1975 — Helmut Newton — White Women. 1975. Helmut Newton's "White Women" book — explicit, glossy, narrative-driven. Reshaped fashion photography from product-shot to mini-cinema. His Le Smoking photograph (also 1975) became one of the most iconic fashion images of the century.
53. 1975 — Zara Opens. 1975. Amancio Ortega opens the first Zara in La Coruña. Two-week design-to-shop turnaround. Defined fast fashion of the 1990s-2010s. By 2024 Inditex (parent) is the world's largest fashion retailer.
54. 1977 — Vivienne Westwood — SEX. 1974. Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's King's Road shop, renamed "SEX" in 1974. Bondage trousers, ripped t-shirts, safety-pin couture. Outfitted the Sex Pistols (1975-78). Westwood goes on to a 50-year career as the elder stateswoman of British anti-fashion.
55. 1977 — Disco Fashion. Halston's draped jersey gowns at Studio 54 (1977-1980). Bianca Jagger's red Halston, Liza Minnelli in sequins, the metallic jumpsuit, the platform shoe. Defined late-1970s nightlife glamour.
56. 1978 — Studio 54. April 26, 1977 - February 4, 1980. Studio 54, NYC. Halston, Bianca Jagger on a white horse, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli. Where 1970s disco-glam wardrobe was photographed nightly. Closed in 1980 after the owners went to prison for tax evasion.
57. 1980 — Armani Power Suit. Armani's 1980 unstructured shoulder + soft lapel. Brought menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette; Diane Keaton, Sigourney Weaver, Working Girl, Wall Street.
58. 1980 — Alaïa Bandage Dress. Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knit "bandage dresses" of the 1980s. Worn by Naomi, Tina Turner, Grace Jones. The defining 1980s body-con silhouette before Hervé Léger commercialised it.
59. 1981 — Yohji Yamamoto Paris Debut. October 1981. Yohji Yamamoto shows alongside Kawakubo. Black, oversized, draped, anti-bodycon. Yamamoto's 1985 quote: "Black is humble and arrogant at the same time." The two together are widely credited with introducing "deconstruction" to Paris.
60. 1983 — Lagerfeld Takes Chanel. 1983. Karl Lagerfeld becomes creative director of Chanel — eight years after Coco's death; the house was moribund. Modernised the codes (interlocking C logo, the 2.55 bag, tweed jacket). Ruled until his death February 2019 — the longest tenure of any major creative director.
61. 1983 — Lagerfeld's Chanel 2.55 Revival. Lagerfeld's 1983 revival of Chanel's 1955 quilted leather 2.55 handbag — interlocking-C clasp, chain strap. The defining luxury handbag of the 1990s-2010s; resale value exceeds new price.
62. 1984 — Thierry Mugler Spring 1984. 1984. Mugler's Spring 1984 collection — exaggerated shoulders, wasp waists, science-fiction silhouettes. The first major designer to stage shows as theatrical spectacles. Defined the 1980s power-femininity silhouette before Versace took it more is more.
63. 1984 — Birkin Bag Created. 1984. Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas meets Jane Birkin on a flight; sketches a tote inspired by her overstuffed wicker basket. By 2025: the most-coveted handbag in the world; waiting lists of years; resale prices routinely $20,000-$200,000.
64. 1984 — Nike Air Jordan 1. 1985. Nike Air Jordan 1, designed for rookie Michael Jordan. The first signature basketball-shoe line and first sneaker to cross over to street wear. By 2024: $5B+ annual revenue. Foundational to the modern sneaker economy.
65. 1985 — Prada Black Nylon Backpack. 1985. Miuccia Prada's black nylon backpack — Pocone fabric repurposed from Italian military tents. Cost as much as a leather handbag; reframed nylon as luxury. The bag that turned Prada from a family leather-goods business into a global brand.
66. 1986 — Antwerp Six Debut at London Fashion Week. March 1986. Six Antwerp graduates — Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee — show in London. (Martin Margiela was a Belgian Antwerp Academy graduate of similar vintage but not formally one of the Six.) Defined Belgian deconstruction.
67. 1988 — Issey Miyake Pleats. Issey Miyake's 1988-1993 permanent-pleat polyester — featherlight, machine-washable, sculptural. The Pleats Please line (1993) defined late-20th-century technical-fashion. Designed Steve Jobs' lifelong black turtleneck.
68. 1989 — Jean Paul Gaultier — Sailor Stripes. 1989. Jean Paul Gaultier's breton-stripe Madonna corset (1990 Blond Ambition tour) — the cone-bra corset becomes the defining pop-star fashion garment of the era. Gaultier becomes mainstream-fashion's court jester for two decades.
69. 1989 — Gaultier Cone Bra. Same as above — Madonna's Blond Ambition cone-bra. Listed twice intentionally; the cone bra is significant enough to warrant its own scene.
70. 1990 — Vogue 100th Anniversary — "The Trinity". January 1990. British Vogue cover: Naomi, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford. Photographed by Peter Lindbergh. The cover that launched the supermodel era; Linda's "we don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day" quote that year defines the moment.
71. 1993 — McQueen Bumster Trousers. McQueen's 1993 graduation collection — bumster trousers cut so low they revealed "the back's lowest curve." Pre-figured the early-2000s low-rise jean by a decade.
72. 1993 — Naomi Campbell Falls — Vivienne Westwood. October 1993. Naomi Campbell falls on the Vivienne Westwood runway in 9-inch blue-leather mock-croc super-elevated heels. Photographed by every press photographer present. The defining "runway moment" of the supermodel era; the shoes are now in the V&A.
73. 1993 — Naomi Falls — Vivienne Westwood Blue Heels. October 1993. Naomi Campbell falls on the Vivienne Westwood runway in the now-iconic blue-leather mock-croc super-elevated heels. Got up laughing; the most-replayed runway moment ever.
74. 1994-04 — Supreme NYC Opens. April 1994. James Jebbia opens Supreme on Lafayette Street, NYC. The skate-shop-as-luxury template; the red box logo; the weekly Thursday drops. Sold to VF Corp 2020 for $2.1B. Defined modern hypebeast culture.
75. 1994 — John Galliano Spring 1994 (Black Collection). October 1993. John Galliano, broke, shows his "Black" collection in Parisian princess Sao Schlumberger's abandoned mansion. 17 pieces, dirt floor, lined with old newspapers. Anna Wintour wears the moment to a Vogue editorial; lands Galliano the Givenchy job within months.
76. 1994 — Rick Owens Founds His Label. 1994. Rick Owens launches his label from his LA garage. Moves to Paris 2003. Defined the "Goth-Calabasas" aesthetic; the post-punk minimal-leather silhouette that became a 30-year career. Married business-partner Michèle Lamy.
77. 1995 — Alexander McQueen — Bumster Trousers. October 1993. Alexander McQueen's "Taxi Driver" graduation collection at Central Saint Martins. The bumster trousers — extreme-low-rise — became his signature. Isabella Blow buys the entire collection for £5,000.
78. 1995 — Galliano at Givenchy. 1995. LVMH appoints John Galliano to Givenchy — first non-French designer to lead a French haute couture house. Moves to Dior 18 months later (1996), succeeded at Givenchy by Alexander McQueen.
79. 1995 — Tom Ford's Velvet Gucci. Tom Ford's Gucci AW1995 — emerald-green velvet hipsters, satin shirts, mohair coats. Saved a near-bankrupt house. Defined "sexy minimalism" for the late 1990s.
80. 1996 — McQueen Takes Givenchy. October 1996. 27-year-old Alexander McQueen succeeds Galliano at Givenchy. The October 1997 first collection bombs; press hostile. McQueen builds his own house in parallel through 2001; LVMH lets him buy his way out to focus on it.
81. 1997 — Mugler — 20th Anniversary Show. January 1995. Thierry Mugler's 20th-anniversary show — Tippi Hedren, Diana Ross, Naomi Campbell, James Brown all on the runway. The first true "fashion as theatre" mega-spectacle; widely cited as the most maximalist runway show ever staged.
82. 1997 — Fendi Baguette. 1997. Silvia Venturini Fendi designs the Baguette — small under-arm bag. Carrie Bradshaw makes it global in 2000 ("It's not a bag, it's a Baguette!"). The first "It bag" of the modern social-media-precursor era.
83. 1999 — Lululemon Founded. 1998. Chip Wilson founds Lululemon in Vancouver. Athleisure as a category. Made yoga pants luxury-priced; reshaped what mass-market women's casual wear could cost.
84. 1999 — McQueen — No. 13 (Spray-Paint Dress). September 1999. McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 "No. 13" finale: Shalom Harlow in a white strapless dress, twirling on a turntable while two industrial robots spray-paint her. One of the most cinematic moments in runway history; widely cited as the show that defined the late-1990s avant-garde.
85. 1999 — McQueen Spray-Paint Dress. McQueen's S/S 1999 finale — Shalom Harlow's white strapless dress sprayed by two industrial robots. One of the most cinematic single moments in runway history.
86. 1999 — McQueen No. 13 — Shalom Harlow Spray-Paint. September 1999. McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 finale — Shalom Harlow on a turntable, two robots spraying her white dress black and yellow. The most cinematic single runway moment of the 1990s.
87. 2003 — Tom Ford at YSL. 1999. After PPR acquires YSL, Tom Ford becomes creative director of both YSL and Gucci. The most ambitious dual appointment in fashion history. The Opium ad campaign (2000) becomes the most-banned fashion advert of the decade.
88. 2006 — Louboutin Red Sole. 1992. Christian Louboutin paints the sole of a women's pump with red nail polish; becomes the brand's permanent signature. The red-sole trademark survived a 2018 EU court ruling. The defining luxury-shoe of the 2000s-2010s. The subject dates from 1992; this photograph was taken in 2006.
89. 2006 — Devil Wears Prada — Cerulean Speech. June 30, 2006. Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly explains how the cerulean blue sweater Andy's wearing was decided by a fashion editor at a high-level Oscar de la Renta show two years before. The most-quoted fashion-industry monologue in film history.
90. 2007 — Galliano — Dior Spring 2007 Couture. January 2007. John Galliano's Madame Butterfly couture collection for Dior. Universally voted one of the greatest single haute couture shows of the 2000s; the show that defined Galliano-era Dior at its peak.
91. 2008 — Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy. 2008. Riccardo Tisci's Givenchy era begins. The Rottweiler t-shirt (2011), the star-and-cross prints. Brought streetwear motifs into Parisian luxury before anyone else; designed Kim Kardashian's wedding dress (2014).
92. 2008 — Phoebe Philo at Céline. September 2008. Phoebe Philo named creative director of Céline. The "Old Céline" era (2008-2017): minimalist, intellectual, beloved by editors and women working in publishing/architecture/film. Brought back accent-less "Celine" 2018 (rebranded by Hedi Slimane); Philo returned with her own label October 2023.
93. 2009 — Issey Miyake Pleats Please. 1988-1993. Issey Miyake develops permanent-pleat polyester through a single-pleat heat-set process. The Pleats Please line (1993) — featherlight, machine-washable, sculpturally precise. Designed Steve Jobs's lifelong black turtleneck. The subject dates from 1988; this photograph was taken in 2009.
94. 2009 — Kanye West x Louis Vuitton Sneakers. 2009. Kanye West x Louis Vuitton sneaker collaboration — the "Don," "Mr. Hudson," "Jasper." The first major designer-rapper sneaker collaboration; pre-figured Yeezy by six years.
95. 2009 — CDG x Converse Heart Logo. 2009. Comme des Garçons PLAY x Converse — the heart-with-eyes logo Chuck Taylor. The longest-running luxury-sneaker collaboration; the first to mainstream the "high-fashion x mass-market sneaker" template.
96. 2009 — Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" Debut During McQueen Show. October 6, 2009. Lady Gaga released "Bad Romance" as the soundtrack for McQueen's Plato's Atlantis runway. First major designer to live-stream a show. The Armadillo boot becomes the most-photographed shoe of the year.
97. 2010 — McQueen — Plato's Atlantis. October 2009 (S/S 2010). McQueen's final completed collection. Iridescent reptilian prints, the Armadillo boot. Live-streamed (first major fashion show to do so) when Lady Gaga released "Bad Romance" during the show. McQueen died February 11, 2010.
98. 2010 — McQueen Armadillo Boot. McQueen's S/S 2010 Armadillo boot — 12-inch carved-wood platform. Lady Gaga wore them in the "Bad Romance" video. Three pairs exist; one sold at auction 2015 for $295,000.
99. 2010 — McQueen's Death. February 11, 2010. Alexander McQueen found dead in his London apartment at 40, ten days after his mother's death. The single most-mourned designer death of the 21st century. Sarah Burton takes over the house; designs Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding dress.
100. 2010 — Lady Gaga's Meat Dress. September 12, 2010. Lady Gaga at the MTV VMAs in a dress made of raw beef by Franc Fernandez. PETA outraged; Gaga said it was a comment on military "don't ask, don't tell." Permanently preserved + on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
101. 2011 — Azzedine Alaïa. Early 1980s. Tunisian-born Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knits. Dressed Naomi Campbell's breakthrough years (he was her surrogate father). Refused to do a runway show on the fashion calendar; the most-respected pure dressmaker of his era. The subject dates from 1980; this photograph was taken in 2011.
102. 2011 — Paul Poiret Opens His House. 1903. Paul Poiret opens his Paris atelier. By 1906 he's designed dresses without corsets — the first major couturier to abandon them. Brought Eastern + Orientalist motifs into mainstream Paris. Dominated 1910s fashion; was the first global fashion celebrity. The subject dates from 1903; this photograph was taken in 2011.
103. 2011 — Fortuny Delphos Gown. 1907. Mariano Fortuny patents the Delphos pleated silk gown — fine accordion-pleat silk, ancient-Greek inspired. Worn by Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Eleonora Duse. Still hand-made by the Fortuny atelier in Venice. The subject dates from 1907; this photograph was taken in 2011.
104. 2011 — Yves Saint Laurent Opens. January 29, 1962. 26-year-old YSL opens his eponymous house after being fired from Dior. The Mondrian dress (1965), Le Smoking tuxedo (1966), the safari jacket. Founded ready-to-wear (Rive Gauche, 1966) — democratised couture. The subject dates from 1962; this photograph was taken in 2011.
105. 2011 — Galliano Fired by Dior. March 1, 2011. John Galliano filmed making antisemitic remarks at a Paris bar. Dior fires him within days. The first major designer cancellation; Galliano spends 3 years in exile before quietly returning at Maison Margiela 2014.
106. 2012 — Balenciaga in Paris. 1937 onward (Paris). Cristóbal Balenciaga — Spanish couturier — produces the most architectural couture of the mid-century. Chanel: "He alone is a couturier in the truest sense of the word. The others are simply fashion designers." Closes 1968, leaving the profession in protest at ready-to-wear. The subject dates from 1947; this photograph was taken in 2012.
107. 2012 — Chanel Tweed Suit. 1925-onward. Chanel's collarless tweed suit — borrowed from her lover the Duke of Westminster's sporting wardrobe. Worn by Jackie Kennedy on November 22, 1963 (the pink Chanel-style Cassini bouclé suit). The most enduring single garment Chanel designed. The subject dates from 1929; this photograph was taken in 2012.
108. 2012 — Courrèges Space-Age Collection. 1964. André Courrèges' "Moon Girl" collection — white go-go boots, A-line minis, helmet-like hats. The space-age futurist response to Saint Laurent's traditional couture. Designed the look of Stanley Kubrick's 2001. The subject dates from 1964; this photograph was taken in 2012.
109. 2012 — September Issue 2012 — 916 Pages. September 2012. American Vogue September issue: 916 pages, the heaviest single magazine issue ever published. The peak of the print-magazine model right before its decline. Subject of R.J. Cutler's 2009 documentary "The September Issue."
110. 2013 — Kering Rebrand. 2013. François-Henri Pinault rebrands PPR as Kering — Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron. The clean two-house structure (Kering + LVMH) that defines 2010s+ luxury industry.
111. 2015 — Halston — American Minimalism. 1968. Roy Halston Frowick founds his label. Ultrasuede shirt-dresses, draped jersey gowns. Dresses Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Studio 54. The American minimalist counterweight to Parisian elaboration; commits the first major designer-brand-licensing disaster with JCPenney 1983. The subject dates from 1968; this photograph was taken in 2015.
112. 2015 — Madeleine Vionnet — The Bias Cut. Early 1920s. Madeleine Vionnet perfects the bias cut — fabric cut diagonally across the weave, draping in fluid curves over the body. The defining 1930s evening-gown technique; Vionnet is widely considered the greatest pure dressmaker of the century. The subject dates from 1922; this photograph was taken in 2015.
113. 2015 — Yeezy Season 1 at Madison Square Garden. February 12, 2015. Kanye West's Yeezy Season 1 streamed live to 42 cinemas globally. The first widely-anticipated streetwear show, the Yeezy Boost 350 reveal. Defined the late-2010s celebrity-designer template.
114. 2015 — Rihanna Met Gala 2015 — Yellow Cape. May 4, 2015. Rihanna at the Met Gala in Guo Pei's yellow embroidered cape — 16-foot train. The cape was reportedly two years in the making. Single most-memed Met Gala look of the 2010s.
115. 2016 — Met Gala Becomes the Super Bowl of Fashion. 2016 onward. The Met Gala — Anna Wintour's annual fundraiser — becomes the most-watched fashion event of the year. Each year's theme (Camp 2019, Heavenly Bodies 2018, Karl Lagerfeld 2023) drives the cultural conversation. Most-photographed red carpet in the world.
116. 2017 — Rick Owens — Human Backpacks Show. October 2015 (S/S 2016). Rick Owens' "Cyclops" show — models carry other models on their backs/shoulders. The most-discussed Owens show; framed conversation about womanhood, support, weight. One of the most-photographed runway sets of the decade.
117. 2018 — Virgil Abloh — Louis Vuitton Menswear. March 26, 2018. Virgil Abloh's LV menswear debut. First Black artistic director at a French luxury maison. The Spring 2019 rainbow runway show was the cultural moment of that fashion week. Died November 28, 2021 at 41 from a rare cancer.
118. 2018 — Virgil's Rainbow LV Show. Virgil Abloh's March 2018 LV menswear debut — rainbow runway in Palais-Royal, the most-photographed runway moment of 2018. Marked the first Black artistic director at a French luxury maison.
119. 2018 — Jacquemus Mini Bag. 2018. Simon Porte Jacquemus's Le Chiquito mini bag — 5 cm wide. The "this is fashion now" Instagram bag of 2019. Jacquemus's lavender-field 2020 show + salt-flat 2024 show became fashion-Instagram canon.
120. 2018 — Beyoncé Coachella — HBCU Performance. April 14, 2018. Beyoncé's Coachella ("Beychella") in Balmain custom HBCU costumes. The most-watched live music performance on YouTube of the 2010s. Reframed performance as a fashion event.
121. 2018-09-08 — Fenty Beauty Launches 40 Shades. September 8, 2017. Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty with 40 foundation shades. Reshapes the beauty industry overnight ("Fenty effect"). First non-white celebrity beauty brand to do $100M+ in first month. Fenty Skin 2020; brief Fenty fashion under LVMH 2019-2021.
122. 2021-07-28 — Chanel's Jersey Sportswear. 1916. Chanel debuts her wartime jersey-knit sportswear — soft, comfortable, designed for movement. Jersey was a men's undergarment fabric; Chanel made it elegant. The first sign that 20th-century fashion would be about ease, not constraint.
123. 2021-08-27 — Elsa Schiaparelli. 1927. Elsa Schiaparelli opens her Paris house. Surrealist collaborations with Dalí (the lobster dress, 1937); shocking pink. The artistic counterweight to Chanel's minimalism. House closed 1954; revived 2014 under Daniel Roseberry.
124. 2022-03-11 — A24-era Fashion Cinema. 2022-2025. A24-produced films become fashion's adopted aesthetic anchor: Past Lives styling, Aftersun mood-boards, The Brutalist costume design. The "A24 girl" Instagram aesthetic — cardigan over silk slip — defines mid-2020s wardrobe references.
125. 2022-06-15 — Chanel Opens Her Hat Shop. 1910. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel opens her millinery at 21 rue Cambon. By 1913 she's expanded to Deauville, by 1915 to Biarritz. Within 20 years the most powerful woman in fashion; within 60, the most-quoted designer in history.
126. 2022 — Tom Ford Reinvents Gucci. 1995. Tom Ford's Gucci AW95 — velvet hipsters, satin shirts, mohair coats. Saved a near-bankrupt house. Within five years Gucci is the world's second-most-valuable luxury brand. Defined "sexy minimalism" for the late 1990s. The subject dates from 1995; this photograph was taken in 2022.
127. 2022 — Balenciaga Controversy. November 2022. Balenciaga BDSM-teddy holiday campaign + court-document campaign. Mass cancellation campaign; Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid distance themselves. The most-damaging luxury brand controversy of the decade; brand recovers by mid-2024.
128. 2022 — Balenciaga Mud Show — Spring 2023. October 2022. Demna's Balenciaga Spring 2023 show — models trudge through ankle-deep mud in front of a graffitied set. Stage-set blew up on social media; defined late-Demna Balenciaga's commitment to spectacle-over-clothes.
129. 2022 — Kim Kardashian — Marilyn Monroe Dress at Met 2022. May 2, 2022. Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe's Jean Louis "Happy Birthday Mr President" 1962 dress to the Met Gala. The borrow caused public conservation outrage; the dress was reportedly damaged. Single most-discussed Met look of the 2020s.
130. 2022-10-03 — Armani Power Suit. 1980. Giorgio Armani's unstructured jacket and his American Gigolo costumes for Richard Gere. Softens the male suit; brings menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette.
131. 2023-04-17 — Bernard Arnault Acquires LVMH. 1987. Bernard Arnault gains control of LVMH; consolidates Moët, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, plus accumulating Dior, Givenchy, Loewe, Fendi, Tiffany. The most consequential business deal in modern luxury; Arnault becomes the world's richest person 2023.
132. 2023 — Phoebe Philo Returns. October 30, 2023. Phoebe Philo's first collection under her own label after a six-year absence. 150 pieces. Sold out within days; revived the "Old Céline" intellectual-minimalism market that had been waiting for her.
133. 2023 — Sabato De Sarno at Gucci. September 22, 2023. Sabato De Sarno's Gucci debut after Michele's departure. Stripped-back, "quiet luxury" aesthetic — the early-2020s industry pivot away from maximalism. Mixed critical reception; let go in February 2025.
134. 2023 — Pharrell at Louis Vuitton. February 2023. Pharrell Williams named LV menswear creative director after Virgil Abloh's death. The Pont Neuf show (June 2023) — Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian front row. The most-commented menswear debut since Virgil's.
135. 2023 — TikTok Eats the Trend Cycle. 2022-2024. TikTok aesthetics ("coquette," "blokette," "tomato girl," "mob wife," "indie sleaze revival") rotate every 4-8 weeks. The trend-cycle compresses from seasonal to monthly. The first generation of fashion consumers who can't name 5 designers but can name 50 aesthetics.
136. 2023 — Cargo Pants Return. 2023. Cargo pants return after a 15-year absence. Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, the Y2K revival. The garment most associated with the early-2000s mall era becomes the silhouette of the early-2020s street.
137. 2023 — Quiet Luxury Discourse. 2023. The Succession-era "quiet luxury" / "stealth wealth" / "old money" discourse: Loro Piana, The Row, Brunello Cucinelli. Maximalist Gucci out; cashmere-and-loafers in. Defined the post-pandemic luxury aesthetic correction.
138. 2023-08-24 — Sabrina Dress. The "Sabrina dress" — Givenchy's 1954 black wool cocktail dress with bateau neckline + grosgrain bow, made for Audrey Hepburn. The film won Edith Head a Costume Design Oscar — without Givenchy credited. He got credit after.
139. 2024 — Galliano Margiela Artisanal Spring 2024. January 25, 2024. John Galliano's Maison Margiela Artisanal Spring 2024 — staged under a Paris bridge. Universally voted Best Show of the 2020s by Vogue, Business of Fashion, etc. The collection that brought Galliano back from his decade-long penance.
140. 2025 — Blazy at Chanel. February 2025. Matthieu Blazy succeeds Virginie Viard (who had succeeded Karl Lagerfeld) at Chanel. The most-anticipated creative-director appointment of the 2020s.
141. 2025 — Jonathan Anderson at Dior. June 2025. Jonathan Anderson named creative director of Dior — both menswear and womenswear, the first single-person directorship of both since Galliano. Anderson left Loewe for the bigger stage.
142. 2026-02-21 — Thom Browne — Grey Suit. 2003. Thom Browne launches his label with a single product: the shrunken grey suit. By 2018 he's costuming Olympic athletes (Tom Brady, LeBron James). The 2024 Met Gala dressed Lana Del Rey in his sculptural wedding-veil gown.

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