Fashion year in review: The stand-out moments of 2017

January

John Galliano takes haute couture back to its experimental best at Maison Margiela, creating a dress featuring a face crafted from netting that makes it look like the wearer is being encircled by ethereal, ever-shifting wisps of smoke. Meanwhile, Alexander McQueen salutes Oscar Wilde at Men’s Fashion Week in London. In a shock announcement, Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, announces that she is leaving the magazine after 25 years. London Fashion Week blurs gender lines by mixing menswear and womenswear, and by sending androgynous models down the runway. Lily-Rose Depp closes the Chanel spring/summer 2017 couture show in Paris, following in her mother’s footsteps by cementing her status as one of Karl Lagerfeld’s muses. Louis Vuitton teams up with skateboarding and streetwear label Supreme, essentially spawning the bumbag trend. Dolce & Gabbana presents its men’s and women’s Alta Moda couture shows at La Scala in Milan.

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February

Hijab-wearing model Halima Aden makes her first appearance on the runway at Yeezy Season 5, in an early sign that modest fashion is about to go global. London Modest Fashion Week is launched by Franka Soeria and Özlem Sahin to provide a platform for modest wear designers from around the world. Proving there is life after Dior, Raf Simons makes his debut for Calvin Klein, while Anthony Vaccarello shows his first women’s collection for Saint Laurent. Peter Dundas designs the golden beaded dress that a pregnant Beyoncé wears to the Grammys.

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March

Nike announces the launch of its Pro Hijab. More than a year in the making, it is designed to give Muslim athletes a high-tech head cover. Clare Waight Keller is named as the new creative director of Givenchy. Stella McCartney sends models down the runway to her father’s song All You Need is Love.

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April

Edward Enninful is announced as the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue. Balenciaga’s Ikea bag goes viral. Gucci floods Instagram with teasers for its autumn/winter campaign, which stars aliens and monsters. Givenchy launches a mini-me childrenswear collection.

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May

The world’s largest emerald-embedded stone arrives in Abu Dhabi. At more than 500 kilos, it is embedded with more than 170 carats worth of gemstones. Louis Vuitton and Jeff Koons collaborate on the Masters collection, a line of bags and accessories derived from the paintings of ­Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh and Peter Paul Rubens. Paul Surridge is named as the new creative director of Cavalli. Model Cara Delevingne sports a painted silver head for the Met Gala in New York, while the Balenciaga: ­Celebrating Fashion exhibition opens in London, showcasing the works of one of fashion’s greats. Featuring 100 of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s most iconic creations, it is an exploration of how this bold and innovative designer shaped the way women dressed in the 20th century. Brigitte Macron wears Louis Vuitton for her husband’s inauguration as president of France.

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June

LVMH finally moves into the online space with the launch of 24sevres.com, a collaboration with Parisian department store Le Bon Marché, offering brands such as Gucci, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Fendi and Valentino. Chanel’s Mademoiselle Privé exhibition, focusing on the life and inspiration of the brand’s famed founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, opens in Seoul, with a party featuring K-Dragon. Demna Gvasalia receives the Council Fashion Designer of America International Award for his work at Balenciaga and Vetements, securing his standing as one of the most interesting designers around. Halima Aden appears on the cover of Vogue Arabia.

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July

Karl Lagerfeld receives the La Médaille Grand Vermeil de la Ville de Paris award in the French capital, the highest honour that the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, can bestow, in recognition of a career spent supporting the culture of the city. Olivier Lapidus takes over from Bouchra Jarrar as artistic director at Lanvin. H&M announces that it will collaborate with Erdem, while Prada designs a capsule collection for Mytheresa.com. Dubai hosts the regional finals of the International Woolmark Prize. Gucci branches out into homeware.

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August

Ounass launches sister site Nass.com, offering designer pieces at up to 80 per cent off. Saint Laurent unveils its hugely impractical but extremely covetable stiletto-skates – essentially a high heel balanced atop three (thankfully immovable) wheels. Manish Arora makes a triumphant return to Lakme Fashion Week after six years. To celebrate 35 years of the Air Force One sneaker, Nike teams up with Travis Scott, Kareem “Biggs” Burke and Don C to create one-off designs. Pat McGrath announces that she will be launching her own make-up line.

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September

New York Fashion Week gets political with slogan T-shirts at Prabal Gurung and body-positive messages from Michael Kors and Christian Siriano. Even Tom Ford and Helmut Lang get on board, sending models of varying skin tones down the runway. The world of fashion mourns the death of Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent’s partner and the driving force behind the fashion brand. Fashion giants LVMH and Kering ban size-zero models. Swarovski opens its creative centre at D3 as a support platform for emerging talent in the region. Ralph & Russo launches its debut ready-to-wear collection. Livia Firth and Eco-Age launch the Green Carpet Fashion Awards. Five different editions of Vogue feature Bella Hadid on their covers. Kaia Gerber – daughter of Cindy Crawford – takes the runway by storm. Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty, offering foundations in 40 shades. Lesedi La Rona, the world’s second-largest uncut diamond, is bought by Graff for more than Dh195 million.

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October

Donatella Versace unites the original supermodels Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer and Carla Bruni for Versace’s spring/summer 2018 show in Milan, which marks 20 years since the death of Gianni Versace. ­Fashion Forward Dubai celebrates its 10th season and brings London-based Greek designer Mary Katrantzou to Dubai for the occasion. Museums dedicated to the work of Yves Saint Laurent open in Paris and Marrakech. Gucci announces it will be going fur-free, and Christopher Bailey declares that he will be stepping down as chief creative officer and president of Burberry next spring. In an epic fashion fail, Balenciaga debuts its platform Crocs. Stella McCartney’s autumn/winter 2017 campaign slams the wastefulness of the fashion industry.

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November

Designer Azzedine Alaïa dies at the age of 77. Alexandra Shulman makes a surprise appearance at the Sharjah Book Fair to promote her work Inside Vogue: My Diary Of Vogue’s 100th Year. Kendall Jenner is named as the world’s highest paid model. Prabal Gurung designs the Grid Girls outfits for Etihad at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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December

Dior Homme presents an exclusive sneaker at Sole DXB. The inaugural edition of Dubai Modest Fashion Week takes place at Burj Park, officially making 2017 the year of modest wear. Academy Award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne comes to DIFF. Bulgari Hotel & Resort opens in Dubai. Barbie launches the Tommy x Gigi Hadid doll. The famed Parisian concept store Colette, a favourite with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, closes its doors after 20 years. Adwoa Aboah is named model of the year at the British Fashion Awards in London, supplanting the Hadid sisters and Kaia Gerber.

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