Relive the Most OMG Moments to Hit the Runways During Fashion Week

Taking style risks never looked so good.

There's no denying New York Fashion Week—which runs from Feb. 9 through Feb. 14—will usher exciting new trends and fearless looks from designers like Michael Kors, Christian Siriano, Carolina Herrera, Laquan Smith and Thom Browne.

But before we ooh and aah over the fall/winter 2024 collections, we're breaking down the OMG moments to come out of Fashion Week over the years.

Take, for instance, Thierry Mugler's futuristic fantasy in 1995 when he created the most fashionable fembot. At the time, supermodel Nadja Auermann armored herself with a silver chrome metal bodysuit that included clear panels to showcase her glowing skin underneath.

More than two decades later, Gucci's former creative director Alessandro Michel toyed with a similar theme of a scientist inventing a new prototype. For the brand's fall/winter runway in 2018, models clutched onto head props that resembled them. 

"We are the Dr. Frankenstein of our lives," Alessandro told Vogue. "I wanted to represent the lab I have in my head. It's physical work, like a surgeon's."

But not every runway dabbles with philosophical motifs. 

In 2017, Jeremy Scott kept it fresh and light for Moschino's spring/summer 2018 show. Models, including Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber, were dressed in pieces that looked like literal bouquet of flowers.

A year prior, Iris Van Herpen played with another element of nature: Water. Many of the clothes for the spring/summer 2017 show moved like ocean waves, while other pieces were shaped like sea creatures.

Of course, we're only scratching the surface here. Keep reading to revisit all of the OMG style moments to spring out of Fashion Week over the years.

At the start of the internet age, Thierry Mugler gave the fashion world a futuristic fantasy in the former of his fall/winter 1995 couture presentation during Paris Fashion Week, during which supermodel Nadja Auermann channeled a bionic fembot in a reflective silver metal bodysuit. Interestingly, the creation was designed in collaboration with aircraft specialist Jean-Pierre Delcros.

With the appearance of Ming porcelain blended with baroque style, Guo Pei's 2019/2020 show was truly a work of art.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, indeed! Richard Quinn's silver sparkly design proved that head-to-toe jewels are always a good idea.

Gucci pushed the boundaries for its fall/winter runway in 2018. From the jarring head props to the wild prints and over-the-top layers, this was a show to remember. Of the striking line, Alessandro Michele said, "We are the Dr. Frankenstein of our lives. There's a clinical clarity about what I am doing. I was thinking of a space that represents the creative act. I wanted to represent the lab I have in my head. It's physical work, like a surgeon's."

Chanel is known for more than its famous tweed jackets and diamond-encrusted brooches. Thirteen years after he helmed the fashion house, Karl Lagerfeld pushed the envelope with the 1996 spring/summer collection, which featured itty-bitty bikinis, bum-baring dresses, muzzle-like accessories and more.

Dior gave the phrase "out of the box" a whole new meaning with its daring and dazzling design for the fall/winter runway in 2019.

Gigi Hadid traipsed down the runway in a Moschino dress that looked like a literal bouquet of flowers at the spring/summer 2018 show.

If there's one thing Iris Van Herpen knows how to do, it's steal the show with electrifying pieces. Case in point? The 2012 fall/winter collection was worthy of a museum display. The designer's collaborator, Julia Koerner, summed up the creations, saying they look like "a second skin on the body."

Jean Paul Gaultier's spring/summer 1993 collection lit up the fashion world after he debuted this au natural look. Creating the illusion of a naked body, the bedazzled catsuit managed to appear both angelic and ethereal.

Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond sent fashion fans into a frenzy with this larger-than-life creation. From the multitude of rollers that created a cape-like silhouette to the ultra-chic velvet robe, we were hair for it.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Claudia Li gave people an escape from reality with unique creations—like this voluminous pink dress, which offered a dramatic neck bow, over-the-top puffed sleeves and layers of ruffles.

A model walked the runway in a red-hot inflatable look during the Craig Green fall/winter 2022 show at The Factory in London.

Sometimes, being risqué means wearing something as simple as a black bustier and matching trousers. Miley Cyrus' added leather gloves and zebra-print coat gave this Marc Jacobs fall 2020 design more edge.

Only Valentino could make something both sexy and sophisticated all in one. This fiery red gown from the 2020 spring/summer runway was proof.

Thierry Mugler debuted this breathtaking gown in 1995, which gave the illusion of a pearl in an oyster. It was a work of art, quite literally, as it was inspired and named after The Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli. And if it looks familiar, Cardi B dropped jaws at the 2019 Grammys wearing the vintage design.

Richard Quinn made a case for bondage face masks for the autumn/winter 2020 collection. The juxtaposition of the daring accessory mixed with the virtuous floral print made it a knock-out.

As Mae West once said, "It's better to be looked over than overlooked." It's safe to say all eyes were laser-focused on this one-of-a-kind Comme des Garçons design, which debuted during the fall/winter 2020/2021 collection in Paris Fashion Week.

Guo Pei has clearly mastered the art of creating extravagant and ostentatious designs. For the spring/summer 2017 show, this diamond-embellished gown and its equally jewel-adorned headpiece made everyone ooh and aah.

Moschino always brings electricity to the catwalk with deliciously kitschy and quirky designs—and this cheeky shopping bag dress wasn't any different.

John Galliano's 1997 runway collection for Dior fused the old with the new. His line was so breathtaking at the time, Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, compared him to the Christian Dior saying, "He has the same extraordinary mixture of romanticism, feminism, and modernity."

Rick Owens perfectly blended grunge, edge and style for the autumn/winter 2019 collection, in which models sashayed down the runway in futuristic-looking ensembles. The designer summed up his line perfectly, telling Vogue, "I felt like I needed some grim, determined glamour."

Bold and blinding accents were clearly Schiaparelli's theme for its spring/summer 2021 haute couture collection. 

Thom Browne's decadent piece featured an explosion of flowers and mixed patterns for the 2020 Menswear spring/summer show. Let's just say the word "basique" wasn't part of the designer's vocabulary when creating this collection.

Charlotte Olympia brought whimsy and camp to the runway for its 2017 spring/summer presentation. From the delicately placed jewels to the over-the-top strawberry shape, the designer proved style can be both playful and dashing.

Iris Van Herpen's spring/summer 2017 show was chock-full of glitzy, glamorous and otherwordly pieces. Each design, such as this wave-like dress, deserved to be displayed in a museum.

When in doubt, go for something bright and bold like this Emilio Pucci number from its fall/winter 2017 runway.

Guo Pei made the fashion world swoon over this lavish design, which gave the illusion that the model was laying on a bed of flowers.

A model walks the runway at the Paco Rabanne Ready to Wear spring/summer 2021 fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week.

It's a tale as old as time: Wearing latex clothing is only for the brave. So, when this head-to-toe latex suit graced the Balmain runway in 2020, jaws were dropped. In fact, this lewk was so captivating that Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian both wore a variation of the design.

There's no denying Tom Ford is the king of subtle, yet striking fashion. The proof was in the pudding during Gucci's ready-to-wear runway in 1996, in which the designer made it clear that simplicity can be oh-so-sexy.

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