This dazzling, immersive exhibition explores the history of the elusive runway show, from the intimate Parisian origins to contemporary live-streamed shows. When entering the exhibition, you first explore the backstage of a runway show – also known as the exhibition’s gift shop. This room successfully mimics the chaotic environment that lies behind the industry’s glamorous curtain that, sadly, most of us will never be privy to. Professional makeup and brushes are scattered around the three mirror vanities with different model looks lining their frames. It is also here where guests can buy different fashion house books and other merchandise from the show.

Tucked away in the corner of this room lies the door that leads you to the main act. Immediately, you are engrossed by the floor to ceiling screens and their colourful displays, all accompanied by the soothing narration of Cate Blanchett. The exhibition is composed by many different chapters that cyclically run into each other, lacking a clear beginning or end. For my viewing, the first chapter was ‘Behind Closed Doors’ in which we learned about the history of the fashion show and slowly begin to understand how they have evolved to what we recognise in the modern day. When the now beloved fashion runways got their start, they were a much more intimate affair, often taking place in the houses and apartments of different designers with only a few hand-selected individuals invited. These hyper-exclusive couture salons were almost always found in Paris, France – the fashion capital at the time, some could argue that it holds the same title to this day. The exhibition invited us to take a peek into these private shows and sit amongst the famous and fashionable in the front row.

‘Story and Spectacle’, ‘Disruptors’, and ‘The Audience’ are just some of the exhibition’s chapters that follow. In conjunction, all of these chapters evaluate the evolution of the fashion show from that initial intimate setting to the debauched displays of today, detailing how designers like Vivian Westwood and Chanel’s Karl Largerfeld tore down many barriers for what was regarded as truly fashionable with their rebellious designs and grand runway sets respectively. The ubiquity of phones and social media have also played an undeniable part in this observed change and we explore the making of the first live streamed and thus the first global runway: Burberry’s Autumn/Winter 2010 show.

This unique exhibition masterfully utilises Vogue’s extensive archive and notable history to put on a truly remarkable and captivating show where the audience is invited into the gifted minds of fashion’s greatest designers and creatives. This show is available at London Lightroom in King’s Cross until the 26th of April 2025. Whether this experience is worth the £15 ticket prices (and to think, that is with the student discount) is for you to decide. What I will say is that, personally, I do not regret my purchase – in fact, I could even go again.

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