Fashion shows are a huge task for designers. Not only do they need to design a collection fit for the catwalk, but they also have to construct a set, which encapsulates the image of the company and the collection they are presenting. Below, we have compiled a list of some of our favourite fashion show sets over the past few years…

1. Chanel Spring/ Summer 2019

This stunning set, which took 9 days to make, transported the audience far beyond the walls of Paris’ Grand Palais. A beach, complete with ebbing waves, sand and even lifeguards was the look of Chanel’s Spring/ Summer collection. Models strolled barefoot across its shores, as Karl Lagerfeld looked on.

2. Louis Vuitton Spring/ Summer 2012

Louis Vuitton moved away from the murky atmosphere of the Fall/ Winter 2011/2012 hotel in this collection. Spring had arrived, casting off its old winter garments, into a new seasonal style. In this show, a carousel displayed a turntable of models, resting on beautiful white horses, finished off by an appearance from none other than Kate Moss!

3. Dolce & Gabbana July 2019

There is nothing quite so enchanting as a fashion show set in a temple, especially for the Italian fashion company, Dolce & Gabbana. Dresses seemed to float down the steps, rippled with exquisite embroidery and Greek allusions. After they had displayed their outfits, some models took their place between columns, as if they were Greek caryatids, looking out onto the glorious Italian landscape.

4. Tommy Hilfiger’s Fall/Winter 2014

Hilfiger went all out this year on their set. It took place in what seemed to be a ski village, a design which Chanel may have taken inspiration from in their 2019/2020 show. The catwalk was marked by a track through the snow, between the fake pine trees and boulders.

5. Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2016

Thom Browne created a scene resembling Washington Square during the Great Depression. Models came out with garments yoked together, as if they were Americans at that time desperately trying to reinvent themselves through their clothing. In the midst of this, Browne planted a clock, perhaps as a reminder of time, and how far we have come since then…

6. Chanel Fall/Winter 2017/2018

Chanel’s fashion took off this year, quite literally, in another one of Largerfield’s incredible set design feats. He stationed an amazing 35-metre tall ‘Chanel rocket’ in the centre of the Grand Palais, after SpaceX’s successful mission. At the end of the show, it was launched to the backing track of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’.

7. Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2001

No fashion show set list would be complete without Alexander McQueen. It began with an agonising wait for its audience, who were forced to stare at themselves in a mirror which covered the set. Inside, models walked around, clutching helplessly at the glass screen which concealed them. Finally, a box situated in the centre of the set collapsed to unveil a naked woman covered in moths, taken from the gothic photos of Joel-Peter Witkin.