The 5 most iconic fashion shows of the early '00s

In the early 2000's we used to sing Outkast's Hey Ya! and Beyoncé's Crazy in Love, we wore very low waist pants with crop tops and the Olsen twins were the stars of bad teen movies and not refined designers yet. In the meantime Versace brought on the catwalk the dress that invented Google Images, Fendi conquered China with one of the most spectacular fashion shows ever, Hedi Slimane revolutionized menswear and Marc Jacobs anticipated the importance of having a face mask. 

Here below are the 5 most iconic fashion shows of the early 2000s.

Versace SS 2000

When you say the power of fashion, you're talking about this show. The emerald green jungle-dress in silk chiffon worn on the catwalk by Amber Valletta and by Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammys is the dress that "invented" Google Images. Once people saw it on JLo, and once the image was posted online, the search to find, look at and download it jumped so high that Google decided to launch Google Images. A true revolutionary item, often celebrated by Donatella Versace. During the SS 2020 show, Lopez wore it again getting a standing ovation and the tropical motif appeared again in a 3D version on the sneakers and the Virtus bag. 

Dior Homme SS 2002 

Hedi Slimane was the creative director of Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007. The designer, at the helm of the menswear of the Avenue Montaigne Maison, changes the way men dress, focusing on what will become his trademark, the skinny silhouette, sexy and androgynous, which draws on materials and lines typical of womenswear. Any examples? Jackets with thin belts to tie at the waist, biker suits, handmade shirts in stretch tulle, but his real cult item was the black skinny suit, with narrow sleeves and low-rise trousers, that became the uniform for rockers of that period. Even Karl Lagerfeld, in order to wear Slimane's ultra-slim creations, lost 40 kilos.

Alexander McQueen SS 2004

Every Alexander McQueen fashion show was a real performance, where the designer was able to mix beautiful clothes, powerful messages and art. For the Deliverance collection the inspiration was the 1969 Sydney Pollack classic movie They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, a desperate story about hunger and youth during the Great Depression of the 1930s in America, where a group of characters take part in a cruel and physically punishing dance marathon for a cash prize. On the catwalk, models wearing dresses embellished with Swarovski crystals, glittering lamé fabrics and feather boas danced with professional dancers choreographed by Michael Clark.

Fendi Great Wall of China Show 2007

In October 2007, Karl Lagerfeld made history by choosing the Great Wall of China as the set for a Fendi fashion show, a project that cost $10 million and 12 months of careful planning and preparation. A list of 500 VIP guests from around the world watched the 88 models, who wore an exclusive mini-collection designed specifically for the event and a series of selected looks from Fendi's SS 2008 collection, walk down an 88 metre long catwalk. Maybe the creations were not Lagerfeld's most legendary, but the set was the most stunning of all time.

Louis Vuitton SS 2008

Following the success of the project with Takashi Murakami, Marc Jacobs commissioned Richard Prince to rework the iconic Louis Vuitton bags. Inspired by his Nurse paintings that also appear on the cover of Sonic Youth's Sonic Nurse, the designer brought a cast of super tops such as Stephanie Seymour, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova and Nadja Auermann in vinyl coats, hats decorated with letters composing "LOUIS VUITTON" and a black lace mask to the catwalk. The rest of the collection was a mix'n'match of colours, from yellow to mauve, sheath skirts, Lurex sweaters, tweed or chiffon dresses and bows.