When is Fashion Week?
See also: Fashion Week Dates
Short answer: fashion week generally refers to the womenswear shows that happen twice per year (February and September) in the “Big 4” fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan, and Paris (in that order).
But there are also menswear shows, “resort” shows, and haute couture shows in Paris, and these happen at different times during the year. There are also now many, many international fashion weeks. So nowadays, you might say, “it’s always fashion week somewhere.”
The naming of the seasons is also something that’s become a bit complicated. Originally, the shows were previews of collections that would hit stores six months later.
As a result, the shows were named after the season to come. For example, February would show “fall collections,” and September would show “spring collections.”
But as consumers have increasingly begun wanting to buy things from the runway right away, “in-season collections” have started to make an appearance. So these days, you might actually see winter clothing on the runway in September.
Even the traditional separation between men’s and women’s fashion collections has become blurred, with both men and women appearing in the same runway show during the time traditionally referred to as “women’s fashion week.”
Below is a general guideline of when shows traditionally happen. For more specifics, see the list of fashion week dates.
January
(Men’s & Haute Couture)
Milan (Men’s)
Paris (Men’s)
Paris (Haute Couture)
February / March
(Women’s Shows)
“Fashion Week” refers primarily to these womenswear shows.
New York Fashion Week
London Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week
April
(Bridal Shows)
New York
May
(Resort Shows)
New York
June / July
(Men’s & Haute Couture)
London (Men’s)
Milan (Men’s)
Paris (Men’s)
Paris (Haute Couture)
September / October
(Women’s Shows)
“Fashion Week” refers primarily to these womenswear shows.
New York Fashion Week
London Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week
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That’s it. Have fun!
(And for specific dates, be sure to check out the calendar, or the simplified list of fashion week dates.)
With love,
FWO
