Only 40 outfits in a collection?

[Spiral1532]

Why does the average fashion show nowadays only contain 40 or so outfits?
Is there a reason for such few outfits in a collection?
It wasn't always like this.

This is from a Chanel show in 1991. A top model like Linda Evangelista got to wear 8 different outfits in that collection.

corbis.com

Here's another pic from a Chanel show, in 1992. Claudia Schiffer and Marpessa both wore 6 different outfits in that show.

corbis.com

Nowadays it's rare to see a model wear more than 2 outfits in show. Usually a model will just wear one outfit in a show.

 

[Blanche DuBois]

well 40 outfits are ok to me
Dolce did like 80 and it was boring as hell ... so...
I don't know
when a girl just get one outfit in a show, I think, "Gosh all that waiting and the hair and make up, just for one appeareance!!! doesnt seem fair"

 

[TheGlassAngel]

Quality over quantity

 

[Spiral1532]

when a girl just get one outfit in a show, I think, "Gosh all that waiting and the hair and make up, just for one appeareance!!! doesnt seem fair"

I know! That's exactly what I think. What a waste of time, for just one outfit.

 

[sakina]

Hmm... I always wondered why older generation models talk about having to rush in and out of outfits for the runway because during shows I rarely see the same model walk twice.

Chanel always has more outfits than most collections so I wonder what the average used to be.. ?

 

[Whitelinen]

Quality over quantity

Indeed.

I think there is just the right amount of outfits in every collection.

 

[morgan38]

I think 40 is a good standard. Above that it just gets a bit hectic, confusing, and hard to follow.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

i think below 30 is perfect... more than 40 is just pushing it in my opinion... how many times can you do a pretty white blouse or some mean-cut pants over one show?

 

[morgan38]

Actually, giving it some more thought, I think 40 looks is almost too many looks.

 

[markie]

Quality over quantity

you said it!

 

[Spiral1532]

Chanel always has more outfits than most collections so I wonder what the average used to be.. ?

I would guess that the average was somewhere over 100 outfits.

Another thing that's nearly nonexistent nowadays is seeing models walk together on runways. Back then, it was commonplace to see models walk in a pair or in a trio on the runway.

 

[jssy4eva]

If you look at Linda's card in the first post, it says that She is # 1 and then # 175 175!!!! That's alot of looks!

It doesn't really matter to me how many outfits a show has, I just find that the more there are, the more variations of certain outfits that come out. For example, there might be a dress they show on it's own, then they show it in a different color, or maybe in a shorter length, with a sweater over, tucked into a pair of pants, and so on....not that there's a problem with that

 

[Spiral1532]

Actually, giving it some more thought, I think 40 looks is almost too many looks.

But then, how long does a show with only 40 looks last? Like 10 or 15 minutes?

It seems that the audience spends more time waiting for the show to begin, just to have the show last 10 or 15 minutes.

 

[jssy4eva]

I would guess that the average was somewhere over 100 outfits.

Another thing that's nearly nonexistent nowadays is seeing models walk together on runways. Back then, it was commonplace to see models walk in a pair or in a trio on the runway.

The last time that I saw it was Versace and Bill Blass Spring/Summer 2006 and Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2005 It looks very cool when they do that

 

[Hye Park Lover]

^ There were also some group walking going on in Undercover SS07 and Jean Paul Gaultier SS06

 

[JJohnson]

Yea Lacoste also did that this season...

 

[Spiral1532]

It doesn't really matter to me how many outfits a show has, I just find that the more there are, the more variations of certain outfits that come out. For example, there might be a dress they show on it's own, then they show it in a different color, or maybe in a shorter length, with a sweater over, tucked into a pair of pants, and so on....not that there's a problem with that

Yeah, I definitely agree with that. For me, it's better to have more outfits in a show for that reason.

 

[Scott]

I think the more a designer shows the more tedious the show becomes. Especially,if there are some pieces that are the same but in different colours or as you say jssy,in variations. I get kind of bored with all that. Personally,I'm more for capsule-sized collections(like 15-20 outfits) and smaller shows because you get to actually see the different pieces that were done and all very special individually.

 

[Salvatore]

With 175 looks, that seems to be the entire boutique on the runway. I remember watching a Chanel show from Spring 2002, I believe, with the curvy runway and about 62 looks. Each piece looked of quality and it didn't take anything but about 18 minutes. And besides, haute couture used to require 50 looks and that's at the highest detail possible.

On a different notes, I like group-walking...but the models today have no idea how to do it properly.

 

[zamb]

well with so many shows and such hecktic scheduling each season does a show need to have more than 40 outfits?
there is no law (at least in RTW) that says how many looks should be in a clollection, the fact is that the nature of the business has changed,.
in the old days of the great couturiers they did only two collections (there was no resort, holiday, pre-collection etc) these two collections covered everything that was needed by the clients (also for stores to buy samples they would copy and sell at cheraper prices) there was also no RTW at that time.
as time progressed and business change there became a need for a different way, resort, pre-collections, showroom collections (as opposed to the runway collection) . as a result it became neccessary to show less clothing on a runway , also no designer nowadays wants to be accussed of being unable to keep thier collections focussed and well edited so thier is no need for over fifty outfis.
personally ive never done forty outfits (and wont anytime soon) the most ive done is 27. of which i edit down to about 18-20 which i sell to the stores.
for me this is simply a cost saving strategy, as for small companies , production is not easy (production patterns and grading is very expensive to do) .
ive seen designers do shows with as little as 10 oufits , which i think is unnecessary, as thier are other ways of presenting a collection.

everybody wants to save money nowadays, so producing a show with that many clothes and that many oufits of which half never make it to productioin is really not necessary anymore