The 10 Buzziest Moments of New York Fashion Week, From Runway Crashers to the Supers’ Return
New York Fashion Week‘s spring ’24 season went in and out in a flash — but there was plenty of time for some viral fashion moments to take hold.
Aside from unofficially kicking off fashion month for the spring ’24 season, New York Fashion Week also became — by default — the guinea pig for how celebrities can approach front-row appearances under the current SAG-AFTRA strike, which began this summer.
Throughout NYFW, TikTok and Instagram Stories also reigned as digital eyes and ears from the front row — and created a slew of viral fashion show moments as a result, distributed across editors and social media influencers alike. Many set the Internet ablaze with their fashion significance, like the appearances of ’90s supermodels Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington on the runway; still, others made waves for entertaining, controversial or statement-making stances on what fashion shows themselves are today, as seen at Elena Velez, Wiederhoeft and Collina Strada. And, in one of the most-discussed moments of the week, PETA runway crashers returned in a triad at Coach‘s spring ’24 show (which also marked creative director Stuart Vevers’ 10th anniversary at its helm).
Here, a rundown of the 10 most viral moments from New York Fashion Week’s spring ’24 season.
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Naomi Campbell returns to the runway for PrettyLittleThing collab
Naomi Campbell — one of the core original “supers” in modeling, alongside peers Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington — hit the runway following her viral September 2023 Vogue group cover, promoting her collaboration with British fast fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing. The line, which Campbell enlisted young Black designers Victor Anate and Edvin Thompson to help create, featured an array of sparkly dresses, jumpsuits and suiting-like ensembles inspired by the holidays and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album.
“What was a concert is no longer a concert,” Campbell exclusively told FN backstage. “The Renaissance Tour was a movement. You told people to wear silver, and they did! People want to have fun, people want to dress fun and they want to feel good about themselves — and we have all aspects that cover that in this collection.”
Christy Turlington shines at Ralph Lauren’s spring ’24 show
In another supermodel moment — albeit, a surprise one — Christy Turlington made a rare appearance to close Ralph Lauren‘s spring ’24 show. The occasion found Turlington shining on the runway in a sweeping metallic gold dress, stiletto-heeled sandals and orbiting drop earrings, creating a shimmering statement that went instantly viral on social media. It also marked a full-circle moment for the model, who was a muse to Lauren throughout the ’90s — and one her nephew, James Turlington, has continued in his menswear department in the last several years. Combined with Campbell’s PrettyLittleThing debut and the original “supers” reuniting days later for a group walk at Vogue World: London, Turlington’s appearance couldn’t help but make us wonder if the supermodel crew is about to enter their third renaissance together in this new decade.
Collina Strada’s pageant-smiling models wear AI-designed dresses
Collina Strada’s quirky live shows have all the makings of TikTok bait — animal masks, anyone? — and this season was no different. For spring ’24, Hillary Taylor sent models including Hari Nef down her Brooklyn Grange runway with wide, cartoonish smiles that instantly vanished upon reaching its end. In lieu of a traditional finale, the group danced and twirled together while King Princess appeared for an impromptu performance. Another key takeaway from this show is that Taylor utilized AI when designing its pieces — a softer take on the designer’s dynamic silhouettes, packed with corseted dresses, smooth separates and mixed-pattern prints — which makes her only the second New York-based designer to do so this season (Marc Jacobs, who showed off-calendar this summer, connected a viral 3-minute show with show notes generated by AI). How the use of that technology expands into fashion — and how designers utilize it themselves — remains to be seen.
PETA protestors crash Coach’s show at the New York Public Library
One of the week’s heightened Y2K moments — more so about shock factors than style — occurred when a trio of PETA protestors rose from their seats to begin walking the runway at Coach’s spring ’24 show. One filmed the crash at the New York Public Library, which included her associate wearing skinned animal-like body paint; another strutted while holding a sign proclaiming “Coach Leather Kills.” Needless to say, the incident quickly went viral, as runway crashers have been few and far between since the mid-2000’s — and caused confusion among attendees, many of whom didn’t realize the stunt wasn’t part of the show.
“The color tone matches the collection, so I wasn’t really sure what it was until I saw them being dragged out,” jewelry designer George Inaki Root, who witnessed the protest unfold from the front row, exclusively told FN. “My initial thought was, ‘How did they get in?’ So I wasn’t sure if it was a PR stunt or not, to be honest. The audience seemed surprised, but also calm.”
Needless to say, the show must go on — and so it did. During its finale, the audience showered Stuart Vevers with raucous applause to commemorate his decade of leading the American brand’s creative direction, a landmark since his arrival at the brand in Feb. 2014 (which also led to Coach’s first-ever NYFW show in Sept. 2015).
Christian Siriano celebrates his 15th anniversary at the ballet with Sia and Coco Rocha
Balletcore is a top aesthetic on everyone’s mind this year — one only needs to look at the array of ballet flats that expanded for brands both indie and established this week. It certainly was for Christian Siriano, who toasted his namesake brand’s 15th anniversary with a splashy fairytale runway show at the Pierre Hotel. Surrounded by jewel-toned florals, audience members including Janet Jackson, Avril Lavigne, Kesha and Laverne Cox witnessed an array of ballet dancer-inspired ensembles float down the runway before leading to a finale gown dance by Coco Rocha — and a powerful surprise performance by Sia, who was draped in a voluminous multicolored Siriano gown for the occasion.
Wiederhoeft takes the fashion crowd to the opera — with a theatrical twist
This season, Jackson Widerhoeft took his editor and influencer-filled audience to the opera with a show proving life imitates art. Dancers draped in sparkly dresses and separates were sprinkled across three acts, inspired by the drama and flair of the theatre. One of the most virally memorable moments, however, showed the model cast moving folding chairs across the stage to form a runway front row, all holding up their phones to mimic filming a single model walk down the makeshift runway — cue “Euphoria’s” evergreen “Is this f-cking play about us?” meme.
Anna Delvey and Kelly Cutrone throw a rooftop fashion show
Anna Delvey couldn’t leave fashion for long — and, despite her current house arrest, she didn’t have to. The socialite threw an intimate runway show on her apartment rooftop for designer Shao Yung of SHAO, co-produced with PR maven Kelly Cutrone. Alongside Delvey, Cutrone has formed the new talent agency OutLaw Agency, marking the event the pair’s first together at Fashion Week.
“We’re in pop culture — people have ideas of what I’m about and what she’s about, and it was just really fun to come together,” Cutrone exclusively told FN. “As our pop culture personas, but also individually as women, and we had a really good time. She’s super smart. She knows how the world works. She has a very fast mind, and it was really fun to run an event with her.”
Area goes under the skin with bejeweled bones and metal heels
Always a social media hit at NYFW, Area’s spring ’24 show swapped sparkly crystals and last season’s whimsical fruits for crystal-coated bones, which adorned dresses, suiting and even formed headpieces in a variety of shapes. A pink gown one of the “Flintstones”-like bones showed up on Saweetie a few days later at the MTV VMAs.
Elena Velez sends models into a mud pit
Elena Velez’s spring ’24 show found models on a mud pit runway wearing shoes in collaboration with Nike, including one donning stiletto heels that pierced the athletic brand’s slides. However, the event’s boldest moment came from its finale; models fell down, stumbled and stage-fought each other in the center of the runway, splattering mud on themselves, the clothes and the guests. Reaction videos instantly took over social media, including Coco Rocha’s own TikTok recollection of her own mud-set show for Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall 2009 collection.
Puppets & Puppets gets digital with dancing feline robots
During Carly Marks’ presentation of Puppets & Puppets’ spring 2024 show, a whimsical crew greeted guests at the Immaculate Conception Church’s gymnasium in the East Village: small fluffy cat-shaped robots, which danced and waltzed together across the floor. In fact, the curious creatures were — as revealed by Vogue — part of the dancing toy group that accompanies New York City’s subway saxophonist Jazz Ajilo. For a fitting (and sweet) touch, many of the creatures carried miniature versions of Puppets & Puppets’ cookie-adorned handbags.
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on trending news, celebrity style, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
