2016: The Year in Fashion Snapshots

Fashion

New Year’s Eve is just a few days away. To round off the year, we revisit a number of our top articles from 2016. Today, we highlight some of the most memorable images. This was 2016 in pictures.

January

Chanel debuts green eco-system during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week

Karl Lagerfeld transformed the Grand Palais into his own green eco-system, complete with blue skies, manicured green lawns and a modernist wooden doll-house, both “Japanese and not Japanese” for Chanel during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

Photo: Chanel

February

Sies Marjan debut Fashion Week Show

Designer Sander Lak puts the finishing touches on a model backstage, before they take to the runway at newcomer womenswear brand Sies Marjan during Fall/Winter 2016 New York Fashion Week, at Ralph Walker Tribeca on February 14.

Photo: Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images/AFP

March

Kanye West opens surprise Pablo pop-up shop in Manhattan

Kanye West made his fans dreams come true with his surprise pop-up opening in Manhattan, New York. Crowds lined up at 83 Wooster Street in Soho near the Kanye West "Pablo Pop-Up Shop" March 18, hoping to score a piece of Pablo merchandise.

Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images/AFP

April

Rana Plaza’s three year anniversary

Bangladeshi onlookers gathered at the site of the Rana Plaza building collapse on the third anniversary of the disaster in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka on April 24. Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers demanded justice and safe workplaces as they marked the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory disaster that killed over 1,100 people as they continue to work in poor conditions.

Photo: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP

May

Chanel shows cruise line in Havana Cuba

Honored guests waited patiently outside to attend Karl Lagerfeld's "Cruise" line for Chanel at the Paseo del Prado street in Havana, Cuba, May 3. Inside their houses, Cubans tried to watch Chanel's show at the Prado promenade.

Photo: LIU BIN / NurPhoto

Louis Vuitton cruise collection show in Rio de Janeiro

Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière showed the brand’s cruise collection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 28 in the Museum of Contemporary art (MAC) of Niterói.

Related news: his Cruise collection 2017

June

Balenciaga takes Paris Men's Fashion Week by storm

A mark was made in fashion history when the 99 year old luxury fashion house, founded by master tailor Cristóbal Balenciaga, held it's debut men's wear fashion show, under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia, during Paris Men's Fashion Week in June.

Alessandro Michele turns Westminster Abbey into catwalk

Gucci on showed its Resort 2017 in London's Westminster Abbey on June 2. While the choice of location drew plenty of criticism - how could a 13th century Gothic church, once of the most sacred sites in the UK let itself be reduced to a marketplace and fashion platform? - it was by all accounts spectacular, if the rapturous applause at the finale was anything to go by. "I chose Westminster Abbey because everyone has this idea of London being cool, but for me the history is what's really cool," said Gucci's Creative Director, Alessandro Michele at the time.

Photo: Gucci Resort 2017

July

Vetements show at Paris Couture Week

The Parisian ‘design collective’ Vetements shook the industry once more when it unveiled its collaboration with a total of 18 different fashion brands for its Spring/Summer 2017 collection on July 3. Vetements teamed up with the likes of Juicy Couture, Levi's, Dr. Martens, Reebok as well as Manolo Blahnik, Mackintosh and Comme des Garçons to recreate some of their most iconic designs, with a Vetements twist.

Photo: Juicy Couture x Vetements. Credit: Catwalkpictures.com

Fendi’s 90th anniversary show at the Trevi Fountain, Rome

German designer Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi acknowledged the audience at the end of the Fendi fashion show at the Trevi Fountain in Rome on July 7, which took place in Rome as part of Fendi’s 90th anniversary celebrations.

Photo: Tiziana Fabi / AFP

August

2016 Olympic Games: Gisele Bundchen returns to the runway

Brazilian fashion model and producer Gisele Bundchen participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. She wore a gold a sequined dress from Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch for the ceremony, which took place at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 05.

Photo: Salih Zeki Fazlioglu / Anadolu Agency

September

Yeezy show 4

Tyga, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Carine Roitfeld sat next to each other when they attended the Kanye West Yeezy Season 4 fashion show on September 7, in New York City.

But it was the social media coverage of the Yeezy Season 4 show which became an entire news story in itself, rather than the collection shown. Models fainted after standing in the hot sun for hours, which led to many viewers taking to social media platforms like Instagram to express their outrage, placing the attention on the treatment of models rather than the show itself.

Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 4/AFP

#TOMMYNOW

Model Gigi Hadid and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger posed with models during the #TOMMYNOW Women's Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week at Pier 16 on September 9, 2016 in New York City.

Photo: Mike Coppola / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

October

Kenzo x H&M launch event directed by Jean Paul Goude’

Performers and models take the runway during the Kenzo x H&M Launch event directed by Jean-Paul Goude' at Pier 36 on October 19, in New York City.

Photo: Thomas Concordia / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Alber Elbaz awarded France's highest honour during fashion week

Israeli-US fashion designer Alber Elbaz posed for the cameras after he was awarded the title of Officer in the National Order of Merit by French Culture minister Audrey Azoulay at the Culture ministry in Paris on October 3. Elbaz is pictured here with Instagram's head of fashion partnerships Eva Chen.

Photo: Christophe Archambault / AFP

November

Bella Hadid walks for the first time for Victoria’s Secret

It-girl Bella Hadid gets ready for her hair and makeup sessions before her big debut for Victoria’s Secret annual Fashion Show, held at Grand Palais in Paris, France, on 30 November.

Photo: Hubert Boesl / DPA

170 years Vlisco

Dutch manufacturer of luxury African fabrics, Vlisco, celebrated its 170th anniversary last month. A model presented a creation by label Reda Fawaz during a fashion show marking the 170th anniversary in Abidjan on November 26.

Photo: Issouf Sanogo / AFP

December

Demna Gvasalia named International Ready-to-Wear Designer of the Year

Designer Demna Gvasalia, creative director of fashion house Balenciaga and Vetements, posed with his award after being named winner of the International Ready-to-Wear Designer award during the Fashion Awards 2016 in London on December 5. The Paris-based Vetements was also crowned International Urban Luxury Brand.

Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP

2016

Year in Fashion Snapshots

Year in review