“Long neck, chin out, shoulders back, tits out!,” instructed Forces of Fashion host and Vogue.com editor Chloe Malle, in reference to the photo session that is one of the fun and informative events at One World Trade Center. With camera at the ready, nails painted Midas gold, intrepid photographer Hunter Abrams is shooting a FoF lookbook in the tradition of an old-time fashion parade, in keeping with this year’s theme: the power of the runway show.
Way back when, couturiers would dream up collections of a hundred or more looks that were presented at hour-long viewings by the cabine of house models. Each look was announced by number and, often, by name. Sometimes models carried number cards. It’s this tradition that Demna revived when, at 10 Avenue Georges V, he reopened Cristobal Balenciaga’s salon to mark the maison’s return to couture. Number cards have become a trope in fashion presentations used by the likes of speaker Jean Paul Gaultier, and are shorthand for an elevated aesthetic. Check back regularly for updates on all the faces and all the looks of Forces of Fashion 2024.
