20 Years of Iconic Runway Fashion, Revisited

For 20 years, Who What Wear has been watching and reporting on the ways that fashion changes in real time. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re looking back at some of the runway moments that didn’t just reflect their time but helped define it. We did some serious digging to track down and acquire the iconic runway pieces you’re about to see, then brought them back to life in this nostalgic shoot. From Nicolas Ghesquière’s early Balenciaga to Phoebe Philo’s Celine, Alessandro Michele’s Gucci, and Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta, these are the collections that, even after two decades, we’re still talking about today, and we can’t wait to walk you through them.

Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2006 by Nicolas Ghesquière

More than 20 years later, this Nicolas Ghesquière collection for Balenciaga still feels remarkably modern. Instead of simply re-creating Cristóbal Balenciaga’s iconic designs, Ghesquière studied the house’s archives and warped its signature designs into something quite new, playing with proportions through exaggerated hats, peplums, and jackets. Long before Balenciaga became synonymous with celebrity dressing and pop culture, Ghesquière’s version was the uniform of the fashion insider, making the house a favorite among the industry’s most esteemed dressers.

Prada Spring/Summer 2007 by Miuccia Prada

This collection is a quintessential example of Miuccia Prada taking something traditional and making it feel completely new. She played with off-kilter proportions and unexpected warm fall colors for spring and, most memorably, styled nearly every look with a silk turban that felt vaguely ’40s yet impossible to place in any particular era. The result is a collection instantly recognizable for its styling alone, so much so that Marc Jacobs recently referenced it in his spring 2027 show notes.

Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2008 by John Galliano

For spring 2008, John Galliano looked back at the signatures he had developed throughout his first decade at Dior. After a year of huge 60th-anniversary celebrations for the house, he pulled back on the spectacle and instead revisited the prints, silhouettes, and ideas that had come to define his tenure. The result feels like a greatest-hits collection in the best possible way, with looks that still feel incredibly fun today. It also had massive celebrity appeal, with pieces worn by everyone from Eva Mendes and Amy Adams to Miranda Kerr and Goldie Hawn.

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2013 by Marc Jacobs

This Marc Jacobs collection for Louis Vuitton proves a runway show can become as iconic as the clothes themselves. The models rode escalators onto the runway in pairs, dressed in nearly identical looks. He also transformed the house’s classic Damier check—which was, until this moment, best known from LV luggage and handbags—into a recognizable ready-to-wear print. This collection gained such traction that Kristen Stewart famously wore the oversize checkerboard romper to the Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere, essentially becoming a walking Louis Vuitton ad without a single LV logo in sight.

Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2013 by Hedi Slimane

For his second womenswear collection at Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane switched things up and went to California for inspiration. After a relatively classic and expected YSL debut, he pivoted toward California grunge, sending out fishnet tights, biker boots, plaid shirts, and baby- dresses. At the time, critics were irked by how "ordinary" and unpolished it felt for a luxury runway, but Slimane was quietly creating the ultimate cool-girl uniform: grunge, punk, and the beginnings of the indie-sleaze aesthetic.

Gucci Spring/Summer 2016 by Alessandro Michele

This collection wasn’t Alessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci, but it was the moment his vision for the house truly crystallized and defined an entire fashion aesthetic for the next few years. He completely changed the idea of who the Gucci woman was. Where Tom Ford’s Gucci was "sexy" and all about tight suiting, sheer blouses, and plunging necklines, Michele’s was eccentric, eclectic, and wildly maximalist. The glasses, loafers, pussy bows, florals, embroidery, and vintage styling became so recognizable that being a “Gucci girl” became an identity in its own right.

Celine Spring/Summer 2017 by Phoebe Philo

Phoebe Philo’s spring 2017 Celine collection was a perfect example of her ability to make everyday dressing feel completely new. Boxy tailoring, flowing dresses, bold pops of color, mismatched shoes, and unexpected cutouts came together in this collection that felt both practical and innovative. It was classic Philo.

Prada Fall/Winter 2018 by Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada’s fall 2018 collection took some of her favorite ideas, like nylon, utilitarian dressing, and sporty pieces, and pushed them into something that felt futuristic and a little dystopian. There were padded coats, neon accents, rubber boots, and plenty of the black nylon that had become so synonymous with Prada. Somehow, it all felt both practical and strange, which is exactly what made it so good. And let us not forget about the iconic flame heels…

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2019 by Sarah Burton

Sarah Burton’s fall 2019 collection for Alexander McQueen was a deeply personal take on Northern England, blending British tailoring with references to punk, the Brontës, and the region’s iconic rose. The combination resulted in one cohesive world that felt romantic, rebellious, and perfectly McQueen. The rose became the collection’s defining motif, which is exactly why we featured this look.

Bottega Veneta Fall/Winter 2020 by Daniel Lee

This was Daniel Lee’s third collection for Bottega Veneta, which was also when the "Bottega" look really took off. At the time, Instagram fashion was all about flashy logos and recognizable branding, but Lee made Bottega instantly identifiable without putting a logo on everything. The oversize clutch, square-toe shoes, padded woven bags, and chain-detailed mesh pumps became so recognizable that you could spot them from across the room. This was the moment "New Bottega" became a full-blown fashion phenomenon.

Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2022 by Miuccia Prada

Miu Miu’s micro miniskirt basically broke the internet. The tiny skirts, complete with raw hemlines and exposed pocket lining, were copied everywhere and quickly became one of the biggest It items of the early 2020s. These skirts showed up on copious celebrities, magazine covers, and editorials almost overnight, from Nicole Kidman’s Vanity Fair cover to Hailey Bieber and Emma Corrin, who starred in the campaign.

Versace Spring/Summer 2026 by Dario Vitale

Dario Vitale’s spring 2026 debut marked the beginning of a new era for Versace, but it now feels almost like a time capsule of what that era could have been. He took the house’s beloved codes of sexiness, glamour, and ’90s nostalgia into his own world. The collection was a departure from the polished Versace we knew, introducing a fresh point of view. Considering how quickly the house has already moved on, this debut has become an especially interesting snapshot of a very brief chapter in Versace and fashion history.

Gucci Spring/Summer 2026 by Demna

Demna’s first collection for Gucci felt like a much-anticipated introduction to his version of the house. Instead of completely reinventing Gucci right away, he played with some of its most recognizable characters and eras. The tiger coat in this collection was modeled by Alex Consani in the lookbook and was quickly photographed on celebrities like Meryl Streep and Dua Lipa.

Talent: Vanessa Ouma
Photographer: Logan Mock
Stylist: Lauren Eggertsen
Editor in Chief: Kat Collings
Creative Director: Amy Armani
Hairstylist: Dindi Hojah
Makeup Artist: Sandy Ganzer
Manicurist: Queenie Nguyen
Social Video: Emma Hughes
Producer: Erin Corbett