Paris Couture Week's Wildest Moments, From Chanel To Thom Browne

Paris Couture Week’s Fall/Winter 2024 season was only four days long, but the fashion it introduced will no doubt sustain fashion group chats for weeks to come. Yes, it had the usual crowd of A-listers in the front row, and risqué collections on the runways, but the season was also ablaze with wild moments that no one had on their 2024 bingo card.

Catwalks were absolutely rife with avant-garde numbers that would look right at home in the world’s chicest funhouse. Thom Browne sent a look down the runway that was half dress, half anatomy lesson, printed with the human muscular system. Meanwhile, Schiaparelli continued its tradition of borrowing from the animal kingdom, showing gilded avian-inspired numbers.

Speaking of animals, horses made a splash on the Vogue World runway, when Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid arrived on horseback. Both the models and their equines were clad in Hermès.

Other shows were equally performative. Alexis Mabille’s show featured a burlesque performance starring Dita Von Teese, while Iris Van Herpen turned models into literal works of art, hanging them from canvases in a makeshift gallery.

Ahead, these and more of the wildest moments from Paris Couture Week. Watch your jaw, it’s about to drop.

Viktor & Rolf’s House Of Oddities

Viktor & Rolf took the phrase “playing with proportions” to a new absurd degree. All of the label’s 24 looks were geometrically exaggerated, looking more like fabric-wrapped gifts than actual clothing. Several looks had models’ heads jutting out of boxes, giving new meaning to the term “boxy shoulder.”

Dita Von Teese’s Burlesque Show

Clothes are typically the focal point of fashion shows — except at Alexis Mabille’s Fall/Winter 2024 presentation, that is. The event celebrated the lack thereof, with burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese surprising guests with her signature martini glass performance. She wore nothing but a thong and pasties.

Chanel Joined Team Underwear-As-Pants

When it comes to the red carpet, it’s rare to find a Hollywood star who hasn’t rocked the underwear-as-pants trend. In the luxury space, however, only the most daring designers — like Gucci, Bottega Veneta, and Miu Miu — have embraced the look on runways.

At PFW, one esteemed brand finally joined the panty-flaunting ranks. Among Chanel’s tweed suits and ruffled confections, two no-pants outfits stood out on the runway, styled with dramatic, voluminous capes. Well played.

Gigi Hadid’s Breast-Forward Dress

Runways didn’t shy away from freeing the nip this season — and Hadid didn’t either. Albeit, how take came in the form of a cheeky, trompe l’oeil mini. At the Vogue World afterparty, she wore a sequined Balmain illusion dress. It featured an exaggerated skirt and bared breasts — just not her own.

Thom Browne’s Anatomy Dress

It’s hard to believe this is only Thom Browne’s second-ever couture show. The designer flaunted his technical know-how by showing 49 looks made entirely from muslin (i.e., the fabric typically reserved for samples). Among the bunch were intricately embroidered dresses and his signature oversized jacket with patchwork details.

The most spine-tingling look, however, was a high-neck dress split down the middle. One side was simple and structured, while the other mimicked the human body with blood red beads embroidered to look like the muscular system. It was as gory as it was inspired.

Katy Perry’s Lyrical Dress

Katy Perry was the style star to watch this season. From strutting down the Vogue World runway to rocking a fur coat with nothing underneath, the “Roar” singer has been serving looks. No outfit, however, matched the buzz around her red dress.

Perry wore an asymmetrical dress that featured a 100-foot-long train inscribed with the lyrics of her upcoming single “Woman’s World.”

Schiaparelli’s Avian-Inspired Show

Season after season, Schiaparelli draws from the animal kingdom — from felines to crustaceans. (Remember Kylie Jenner’s hyper-realistic lion head dress and the 3D lobsters on crotches?)

This June, the brand looked to the skies for inspiration. One dramatic number, in particular, featured a black velvet cape with winged shoulders. Peep those intricate feather details; They’re not feathers at all, but elaborate embroidery. Creative Director Daniel Roseberry outdoes himself every single time.

Horse Girls At Vogue World

Thanks to the star-studded runway — which included Serena and Venus Williams, Sabrina Carpenter, and Katy Perry — Vogue World opened Paris Couture Week with a bang.

The wildest moment of the show, however, was when Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid channeled their inner horse girls. The supermodel BFFs took the runway together on horseback, decked out in Hermès. Even the saddles featured Hermès’ famed scarves. It was a moment.

Iris Van Herpen’s Makeshift Gallery

Instead of sashaying (or trotting) down runways, Iris Van Herpen models were transformed into literal works of art. A handful of models, such as Coco Rocha, were affixed onto life-size canvases that hung like tapestries in a museum. Guests walked around the room eyeing the designs — the most stylish exhibit.