The Supermodel Era (1990-2009)
Naomi, Linda, Christy, Cindy, Claudia. Galliano takes Dior. McQueen at Givenchy. Margiela disappears in plain sight. Tom Ford rebuilds Gucci. Carrie Bradshaw makes shoes a personality.
Part of Fashion
28 moments in this segment.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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).
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
- — 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.
