9 Jaw-Dropping Fashion Show Sets ...

Chanel has gained quite a reputation for putting together some jaw-dropping fashion show sets. In the past we’ve seen windmills, larger than life globes and epic crystal creations decorate the runways. More recently, we saw Karl Lagerfeld unveil a Chanel supermarket that acted as the backdrop to the designer label’s Fall 2014 collection. Models strutted down the aisles, which were packed with Chanel-branded products.

Louis Vuitton also knows what it takes to create a fashion spectacle. For the Fall 2012 ready-to-wear collection a real train, built just for the occasion, pulled into the Cour Carée at the Louvre where the show was taking place. Models walked out of the train, wearing the latest Louis Vuitton collection, and were accompanied by porters who also carried Louis Vuitton luggage. Talk about making an entrance!

Floral motifs have long played a role in the Dior brand but for the Fall 2005 couture collection, the runway took on a darker and more mysterious atmosphere. John Galliano’s vision consisted of a cobweb covered garden complete with broken statues and overgrown greenery. It was the perfect setting for the almost ghostly and gothic creations that he sent the models down the runway in.

Sometimes nature provides the best backdrops. Pierre Cardin proved this to be true by using the Gobi Desert in China as a backdrop to showcase their spring/summer 2008 collection. The collection’s clean, minimal designs stood out against the epic backdrop of desert sand dunes.

Fendi made history when it hosted a runway show on the Great Wall of China. 88 models walked down a stretch of the Great Wall, showcasing the label’s spring/summer 2008 collection. Guests were seated down the sides of the runway, lining the edges of the Great Wall.

For his Fall 2012 show, Marc Jacobs enlisted his friend Rachel Feinstein to help come up with the set design. What transpired was a surreal backdrop that looked like crumbling ruins. What made the set even more interesting was that it was made mainly out of paper and wood.

The set at the McQ Alexander McQueen Fall 2012 show resembled a hazy, wooded forest. A carpet of dried leaves decorated the runways which added to the autumnal atmosphere. This is quite something when you remember that collections are shown a season in advance and crunchy, dried leaves would have been quite rare at the time.

One of the most ambitious feats that Chanel has achieved was importing a 265 tonne iceberg onto the runway of their fall 2010 ready-to-wear show. Yes, a real iceberg. The models donned plenty of clothing appropriate for Arctic conditions and as the show went on the iceberg melted, creating puddles that the models had to strut through.

Guests probably weren’t expecting to see a car wreck when they arrived at Givenchy’s sSpring 2014 runway show. The multi-vehicle pile up, complete with smoke, sat at the centre of a circular runway. The installation added a dangerous element to the show and complemented the darker feel of the collection.

Sometimes we end up remembering the fashion show sets more than the clothes themselves. These are just a few larger than life sets that designers have used as a backdrop to their collections. Do you have any favourite fashion show sets?