Come As You Are: 2023’s best fashion moments

It’s hard to believe that half the year is over however, that makes it the perfect time for a mini review. Although there have been many iconic events in fashion this year, these are four of 2023’s best fashion moments, with more to come!  

1. Dior goes to India  

In true Dior fashion, Mumbai’s Gateway of India was lit up with lights and oil lamps, models in silks, embroidered jackets, and extravagant dresses. Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri is one of the best creatives running a big fashion brand. For several years, she has showcased her creativity in different areas of fashion. She has also been closely associated with Mumbai’s Chanakya Atelier, after having met the director Karishma Swali as a designer at Fendi and Valentino. Chanakya’s School Of Crafts teaches women embroidery that they can use to independently support their families. Amidst an art installation with pieces made by these women, Dior’s models walked the runway lit by the gorgeous sunset lighting, resulting in Maria’s creative vision coming together beautifully.  

2. The India in Fashion Exhibition

@nmacc.india

Another big event from India this year; the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) opened with an extravagant ‘India in Fashion’ exhibition, with a 50,000 square feet museum curated by Hamish Bowles. The exhibition is grand and nothing short of perfect. Now open to the public, it has been compared to the Grand Palais in Paris by the founder and is the first of its kind exhibit in Mumbai. The nine-room exhibition showcases India’s mark on international fashion, with displays of embroideries, different textiles, traditional clothing, and colour spilling out into the tiniest details. The exhibition itself is nothing short of breathtaking and brings together different cultural ensembles. The opening of the NMACC also features stunning outfits and some of the best-known celebrities, including Zendaya and Gigi Hadid in gorgeous sarees.  

3. Doja Cat’s 30,000 Swarovski Crystals… 

…and Kylie Jenner’s lion dress, two of the most ‘conversation starter’ looks from the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show at Couture Fashion Week in Paris. Makeup artist Pat McGrath sat Doja Cat down for 5 hours and, with a little bit of teamwork and 30,000 hand-applied red Swarovski crystals, achieved the look you definitely came across on social media. The rest of the week, she stayed true to the standard she set and showed up in a faux moustache look and a handful of grapes as an accessory. Iconic.  

4. The Cannes Film Festival red carpet  

Lastly, the Cannes red carpet featured an amazing collection of gowns and glamour from the French Riviera. Since 1946, the film festival has drawn some of the best-known celebrities and most talented designers to a vacation spot that’s high on my bucket list – the French Riviera. Every year, apart from the critically acclaimed films premiering at the festival and the gorgeous backdrops of Cannes, the film festival has hosted guests wearing some of the most stunning pieces, including Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Birkin. This year, Brie Larson, Katherine Langford, and Elle Fanning were among the celebrities who wore stunning pastels and metallic colours, with accessories that were just right. 

For the first 6 months of the year, I’d say the fashion industry has really outdone itself which is why I cannot wait to see what comes next.