Vogue World 2024: Paris
Vogue World 2024: Paris
By Audrey Cooper
Vogue World 2024 occurred on June 24 at no other than the historic Place Vendome, marking the end of Paris Fashion Week and kicking off the Olympic Summer Season.
Vogue World is a fashion event that combines runway shows and performances, first launched in 2022 and celebrated last year in London. This year's third edition was hosted by model and actor Cara Delevingne, along with a cast of 188 athletes, 70 dancers, 20 international breakdancers, and 151 high-end models, as well as a fabulous star studded audience. The iconic setting is an emblem for the breathtaking nature of French architecture and perfectly pictures the decade of the Sun King, Louis XVI; as the landmark was born under his reign in the late 1600s. The 40-piece orchestra only added to the spectacular atmosphere.
From their front row seats, celebrity A-listers witnessed a show that paired various sports such as cycling, gymnastics, tennis, breakdancing, and fencing with a decade in French fashion. The show kicked off with the decadent 1920s and ended with the hip 2010s, marking the time between the Paris Olympics of 1924 and the ones set for later this summer. French designers were honored throughout, as the show paid homage to the greatest couture houses in France such as Chanel and Gaultier, along with other iconic couture brands.
Among the stunning models were sport legends such as Venus and Serena Williams, Laura Flessel-Colovic, Victor Wembanyama, Marie Jose Perec, Emmanuel Petit, Chloe Kim, Stefon Diggs, and Joe Burrow. In this look through the years of the convergence of fashion and sport, the incorporation of pro-athletes was just as essential as the runway models, as it highlighted the heavy influence that professional athletes have on fashion and vice versa.
1920s: Cycling by Chanel
The Jazz Age Couture from the dazzling decade of the 1920s showcased an array of short bob cuts, dark makeup, extravagant accessories, sparkles, feathers, fringe, long gloves, and most importantly, the gorgeous Chanel vintage dresses that appeared in Vogue in 1924. Kicking off the era and the march of the models, Aya Nakamura sang “Fly,” dressed to the nines in a haute couture chocolate brown gown by Jean Paul Gaultier. Her gorgeous ensemble paired with a fabulous performance set the tone for the rest of the night.
In between the decades, dancers incorporated a fun transition to the next period, coming out of the audience and dancing with newspapers, layers of pearls, classic French waiters with wine, men in tailored black and white suits and bow ties, and soft French jazz in the background to set the ambiance.
1930s: Track & Field by Balenciaga
Models in classic black and white stunning Balenciaga gowns appeared on the runway, stretching as if they were about to run a race, or rather walk the runway. The decade paid tribute to Balenciaga, as Cristobal Balenciaga first arrived in Paris in 1937, and incorporated two looks recreated from Balenciaga’s first Paris collection. The era highlighted the streamlined and modern aesthetics of the 1930s.
1940s: Aquatics by Jacquemus
The runway came to life for this decade with the orchestra playing Tyla’s “Water” as dancers assembled around the Vendome Column and utilized long blue scarves to emulate the rushing of water. This decade celebrated aquatic sports due to the invention of the bikini in 1946, along with the popularization of synchronized swimming and water aerobics. Sabrina Carpenter had jaws on the floor with her runway debut, adorned in Jacquemus wearing a red and white striped one-piece paired with a matching wrap skirt and silk scarf wrapped around her curtain bangs.
1950s: Equestrian by Dior and Hermes
Dior's “New Look” collection dominated this period of the show, with five Dior Bar Suits inspired by Victorianriding habits. Following this, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid appeared riding horseback on the runway. The duo, on horses brought down from Normandy, dripped in Hermes from head-to-toe with matching jackets and bright red lipstick. Following the two riding horseback, Joe Burrow rocked a backless suit with satin lapels, walking next to Justin Jefferson in a more traditional black suit.
1960s: Fencing by Courreges and Paco Rabanne
Fencers quickly took over the runway adorned in white with long pointed swords. Models wearing Paco Rabanne and Courreges waltzed in between them in bright metallic silver eyeshadow and dresses, celebrating the space age of fashion. Andre Courreges and Paco Rabanne are known for their futuristic designs that dominated this decade of fashion in Paris. Among other supermodels, Teyana Taylor danced across the runway in a vintage Paco Rabanne dress.
1970s: Gymnastics by Givenchy
Models adorned in beautiful Givenchy flowing capes and sheer gowns of yellow, blue, pink, green, and purple colored the stage. The looks, inspired by Studio 54, shined across the runway with electric glitter eyeshadow and large afros. The dancers moved about the runway in silver gymnastic leotards while twirling ribbons.
1980s: Martial Arts by Saint Laurent and Japanese Designers
The decade of the shoulder pads was well-represented on the runway with huge oversized blazers and coats, business suits, dark tones, sunglasses, and tights, along with props like briefcases and large mobile phones to reference the period. Katy Perry made a surprise debut in a black strategically cut out archival Noir Kei Ninomiya dress.
1990s: Football by Alaia
Anok Yai kicked off the 1990s in a reinterpretation of a classic Alaia look. As the decade's runway began, Bad Bunny entered the scene amidst professional French football players singing his songs “Monaco” and “VOU 787”. He wore a gray pinstripe, double-breasted suit with padded shoulders from Pressiat, accessorizing with cherry red cowboy boots. Models walked featuring denim-on-denim moments and Balenciaga sportswear, as well as a gorgeous slip dress.
2000s: Tennis by Louis Vuitton, Off-White, and Marine Serre
The 2000s paired hand in hand with Tennis fashion, and who better to start off the period than the infamous tennis prodigies Venus and Serena Williams. Venus in a Marine Serre dress and Serena in an Off-White dress, both followed by dancers wearing Nike tennis skirts and tops waving around tennis rackets.
2010s: Breakdancing by Louis Vuitton Mens, Loewe, Off-White, and Nike
Closing out the last decade, the 2010s celebrated breakdancing as professional breakdancers took over the runway. Noting that “Breaking” is the only new sport making its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Models walked the runway in outrageous dresses.
Finale: Celebration of All the Decades
Closing out the magnificent night, France’s Marie-José Pérec appeared in a red, white, and blue French-flag gown walking next to the 7 foot 4 inches tall basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama dressed in an all-white suit. All the models followed behind from each decade, marking the end of a perfect night in France.
A portion of the net proceeds from the show’s ticket sales went to the humanitarian organization Secours Populaire, which works to help facilitate access to essential equipment for young, aspiring athletes across France.
With producer Den of Thieves and director Sam Wrench, the Vogue World live stream is 100% worth the watch and can be found at Vogue.com.
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All photos belong to their respective owners and Vogue.com.
Article cover graphic by Aliza Warner. Image by Eugene Dorosh from Pexels.