The best fashion shows set in the snow Between alienating glaciers, glass cases and high-altitude landscapes

A snow-covered landscape is one of the most evocative scenes nature has to offer, a source of inspiration not only for painters, who have depicted it hundreds of times over the years, but also for designers. Partly because winter presents an unavoidable challenge for anyone creating clothes, the cold, and partly because the poetry of a panorama immersed in pure white is a powerful call for any creative, designers included. Over the years, this inspiration has gone far beyond garments themselves: snow has been a key element in some of the most striking fashion show settings, from McQueen’s Overlook Show to Demna’s political metaphor for Balenciaga.

Alexander McQueen FW 99

A snow globe to shake and amaze children with a miniature Alpine landscape might seem like the most obvious reference behind Alexander McQueen’s Overlook Show for Fall 1999. Instead, as usual, the inspiration for the collection presented inside a glass box on February 23, 1999, at London’s Gatliff Road Warehouse, was far more macabre: Stanley Kubrick’s horror film The Shining, set in the Overlook Hotel that gave the show its name. A winter fantasy populated by ice skaters, beautiful hand-knit sweaters, warm shearling and intricate patchworks in a forest of birch trees, with looks predominantly in dark tones contrasting the whiteness of the landscape. Among the models, their eyes concealed by an iridescent mask-like makeup, were Frankie Rayder and Kate Moss, the latter wrapped in a tin corset that, from the other side of the glass box, almost resembled a straitjacket.

Chanel FW19

The farewell to the immense talent of Karl Lagerfeld was framed by a snowy paradise, with models clustered together on the steps of a fake Alpine inn, the Chanel Gardenia, in a serene tribute as restrained as Lagerfeld had been throughout his life. There was a minute of silence, followed by the designer’s voice-over accompanying the last collection created in collaboration with his long-time right-hand woman, and current creative director of the maison, Virginie Viard. He spoke in French, until one final sentence in English, a comment on the pleasure he felt in seeing surprise on the audience’s faces during a show: "Oh! It’s like walking into a painting!". Walking the runway among tweed suits, tailored coats and wide-brimmed hats were the designer’s muses, from Cara Delevingne to Penélope Cruz.

Saint Laurent FW21

A giant waterfall, glaciers, sheer cliffs, crashing waves and a black beach gleaming like slate: the winter landscape according to Anthony Vaccarello is extreme, alien, almost inhospitable, and decidedly at odds with the ethereal young women walking the runway, styled and adorned with jewelry, wearing glittering garments in vibrant colors. Titled "Where the Silver Wind Blows", the ’60s-inspired collection incorporates various metallic elements with sharper silhouettes in bold hues, blending typically French styles with glam rock influences.

Miu Miu FW21

Cortina d’Ampezzo, an epic high-altitude landscape in the Dolomites, was the perfect backdrop to celebrate one of Mrs. Prada’s great passions: snow. A collection inspired by the shift, pushed to the extreme, between indoor and outdoor clothing, between confinement and liberation, drawing from the contradictions of the Pandemic: oversized parkas and wool balaclavas, short dresses and visible tops paired with yeti boots. Figuratively, it was a metaphor for the post-lockdown condition, a material outlet for our mental state, the desire for liberation, and undressing despite the temperatures, expressed through a sort of Alpine lingerie ("For me, very sexy stuff", commented Miuccia Prada).

Balenciaga FW22

A snowstorm inside a glass box and models like fragile reeds in the wind dressed in haute couture: Balenciaga’s FW22 show in Paris revolved around a dual theme. On one hand, a dystopian vision of a world where winter no longer exists and snow appears as something exotic; on the other, support for the Ukrainian cause through the representation of the highly topical issue of war refugees. A powerful message paired with an exceptionally high level of research, both in design, from leather Trash Bags to a cashmere towel and the logoed tape total look, and in technique, with pre-crumpled fabrics, “foldable” constructions for trench coats and double-breasted suits, bags created from repurposed boots, an HD sneaker made from a single flexible piece and, above all, a new bio-based material produced from mycelium.

Thom Browne FW06, FW18, FW20, FW25

Snow clearly fascinates Thom Browne. Not by chance, throughout his career the American designer has chosen four times to stage shows in distinctly white, wintry landscapes, almost always for menswear. The first time was with FW06, where the show concept involved models skating on a small ice rink in the middle of Manhattan. Nearly ten years later, Browne returned to winter as his muse with FW18, presenting 33 looks inspired by mountain life in the coldest months, complete with rosy cheeks and long Pippi Longstocking-style braids, playing with volumes and fabrics.

Just four seasons later, with FW20, for his ready-to-wear show the brand used a scenography almost identical to the previous one, with one major difference: this time, the forest was inhabited not by shivering men but by fantastical animals. The inspiration appeared to be Noah’s Ark, with giraffes, rhinoceroses, elephants and pairs of models wandering among snow-covered pines and birches. Chronologically last, but certainly not least, is the FW24 show, entirely dedicated to the American poet Edgar Allan Poe. The allegory brought to the runway is that of the Raven, with a model rising at the center like a tree, covered in meters of padded fabric. Beneath him, the snow-covered runway sees models walk with references to the avian world.

Moncler Grenoble FW25

In The Young Pope, quoting the poet Brodsky, Paolo Sorrentino had Jude Law say that «beauty, at low temperatures, is beauty». A line that was impossible not to recall while watching the FW25 Moncler Grenoble show held at the Courchevel Altiport, transformed for the occasion into a spectacular runway. At 2,008 meters above sea level, in a setting dominated by snow and the cold light of winter, the collection of 140 looks took on the ambitious task of rethinking classic skiwear for a new era: in a discipline where technical clothing is often so standardized, how can each skier be allowed to express themselves, even on the slopes?