To a very select crowd, the runway is poised as the crème de la crème of all stages. The final performance in question, being the one that comes together with needle and thread. A designer’s runway after all, is a wonderful cornucopia of narrative threads, meant to come together to tell a fuller story. One that culminated from many, many months of working those fabrics, silhouettes and the collection’s most unassuming details. Akin to putting together a play however, it can only be done through the assembly of various accompanying elements: the set, the beauty and of course, the music.
By way of keeping it concise, some of the best shows are completed in a span of ten to fifteen minutes—or all of three songs, give or take. The playlist then, is necessarily controlled; each carefully-curated track playing a supporting role in the grand scheme of things.
One only needs to look to the most recent spring/summer 2024 season to understand what we might mean. As if to emulate the quiet, feverish rage of John Galliano’s deconstructed composition at Maison Margiela, each of the models carried an unnatural, choreographed gait as they stepped into the hypnotic atmosphere of Lucky Love’s ‘Masculinity’. A mood shift was necessary for Peter Hawkings’s debut at Tom Ford, as he rightfully called upon the pulsating electronics of Björk’s irresistible techno sound to purposefully ascertain the modern sensuality of his clothes. On the flipside of things, Sarah Burton’s departure from Alexander McQueen saw a stirring finale that could only have been teamed with a classic by David Bowie. Gabriela Hearst, on the other hand, made sure her exit from Chloé was cause for celebration—bringing things to a crescendo with a live samba procession.
So whilst the garments were no doubt the star of the show, there were also a couple of tunes that inevitably fell like candy on our ears. Or even recently made their way into our playlists, perhaps. Peruse Vogue Singapore’s selects of the top tracks that took us on a spin this spring/summer 2024 season, all below.
1 / 11
Givenchy: 'Ceremony' by Chromatics
An unlikely tale of elegance was told at Givenchy—and enigma was bestowed upon its runway with Chromatics’s atmospheric tune. Matthew Williams’s adroit hand for drape and precision came to light in propositions of delicious evening gowns, whilst keeping it grounded in the house’s archival codes.
2 / 11
Balmain: 'Because the Night' by Patti Smith
Post-hijack, Olivier Rousteing and his team has managed to pull off what may have seemed impossible two weeks ago and henceforth emerged triumphant alongside the rousing punk classic of Patti Smith’s iconic ‘Because the Night’.
3 / 11
Chloé: A live samba performance by the Mangueira Samba school of Brazil
Gabriela Hearst herself bust out her own moves as she danced along to the kaleidoscopic live procession put out by the Mangueira Samba school of Brazil—her way of bidding goodbye to her tenure at the house. In kind, the clothes were every bit as celebratory as the carnival-like session; exploding in an abundance of textures and ferocious shapes.
4 / 11
Maison Margiela: 'Masculinity' by Lucky Love
John Galliano’s wildly cacophonous vision came to play at Maison Margiela’s spring/summer 2024 show—his eccentric spell unwinding in a mesh of dramatic shapes and dissected materiality imbued with a zest for mayhem. Similarly, his models upped the theatricalities of their entrance; think slow, off-kilter waltzes to the emotive voice of Lucky Love’s highly-charged ‘Masculinity’.
5 / 11
Gucci: 'Late Night Feelings' by Lykke Li and Mark Ronson
Much thought had gone into Sabato de Sarno’s debut show for Gucci; so much so that widely-acclaimed songwriter Mark Ronson was tapped for the soundtrack. Much remains to be seen for who the new Gucci woman is with de Sarno at the helm, but in waiting for her to come into full view, perhaps we might take the sweet build-up of ‘Late Night Feelings’ as our cue to hold off on any clear judgment call just yet.
6 / 11
Chanel: 'Pure Smile Snake Venom' by Eartheater
There was clearly some fun to be had at Chanel. And it showed in the way Virginie Viard’s cast of models strutted their stuff, each one emboldened with the effortlessness of the casually-clad Parisian girl. To no less than the invigorating beats of Eartheater’s ‘Pure Smile Snake Venom’.
7 / 11
Schiaparelli: 'Style' by Taylor Swift (Orchestra version)
Daniel Roseberry is onto his sophomore act for Schiaparelli’s ready-to-wear identity and it’s a lot more playful and unserious than you might think. Case in point? The multitude of way-too-easy lobster references, that manicure dress on Kendall Jenner and hey, is that Taylor Swift’s ‘Style’ playing in the background? (Only it was given a symphonic swerve.)
8 / 11
Alexander McQueen: 'Heroes' by David Bowie
The anthem of choice at Sarah Burton’s finale was bittersweet, purposeful and undeniably rapturous. To send off what has been touted as Burton’s best collection for Alexander McQueen yet, the rock-n-roll classic of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ was a glorious homage to the legacy she was knowingly leaving behind.
9 / 11
Proenza Schouler: Custom soundtrack by Weyes Blood
It’s an IYKYK moment at Proenza Schouler. The ease and nonchalance that comes with wearing its subtle yet beautiful separates is one that sits at the same table as knowing who it was that opened their show this time around. As indie artist Weyes Blood walked out to the beat of her own drum (quite literally in this case), an eight-minute custom effort was soon discovered to be the result of her artistry; an extended play of two of her tracks from the Titanic Rising album.
10 / 11
Tom Ford: 'Big Time Sensuality—The Fluke Minimix' by Björk
Peter Hawkings sought out the experimental, electronic sound of Björk to put out a magnetic runway that sprung to life in clear references to Ford’s Gucci days—whilst bringing newness to the table with slinky jersey dresses and a deft hand for tailoring.
11 / 11
Diesel: Senjan Jansen's original track for the rave
For a knockout rave under pouring Milan skies, musical composer and sound designer Senjan Jansen concocted a maddening soundtrack for Diesel’s spring/summer 2024—distressed fabrics, skin-skimming silhouettes and acid-wash denim unravelling in sensual suspense, as per the electrifying tempo designed for the show.
