How often do you think about the Roman Empire?
If someone held a phone in my face and asked me that question, I think my answer would be absolutely never. If I am being completely honest, I wouldn’t even know what that even is.
However, if someone asked me how often I think about North West fixing her edges after Chris Appleton hugged her, I would say once a week.
The viral TikTok trend of women asking the men in their lives about this historical period that happened 2000 years ago has personally left me confused and slightly alarmed that this may be what the opposite sex spends their time thinking about.
Accompanied by my sense of bewilderment, I got to thinking about which events — historic, in my opinion — I would consider to be my Roman Empire. Here are some note-worthy fashion events that make my list:
1. Bella Hadid at the 2022 Coperni show
Coperni is one of the most notable brands pushing the boundaries of fashion technology. If not before, it now has certainly become a household name due to this viral moment that happened at their Spring/Summer 2023 show in Paris.
Supermodel Bella Hadid closed the show wearing nothing but nude underwear — at first. Manel Torres, the creator of the patented spray-on technology, Fabrican, then airbrushed a skintight white garment onto her in front of the astounded crowd. I mean, she had a dress sprayed onto her! Like, what? I am still speechless thinking about it.
2. 2022 Gucci ‘Love Parade’
Probably one of the most iconic Gucci shows of all time under the direction of Alessandro Michele, the Love Parade Spring 2022 had the ultimate star-studded crowd and an equally outrageous runway.
Showcased on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, celebrity models such as Jared Leto, Phoebe Bridgers and Macaulay Culkin walked the runway in Grauman’s Chinese Theatre along the historic Walk of Fame.
The over-the-top combination of old Hollywood and 1970s Americana was just the right amount of glitz and glamour that could earn this show the title of most memorable fashion event to date.
3. Jeremy Scott leaving Moschino
In my opinion, the brand Moschino as we know it today is because of the brilliantly creative mind of Jeremy Scott. From the Hadid sisters dressing as furniture to Katy Perry’s hamburger outfit at the Met Gala in 2019, Jeremy Scott is probably one of the most campy and inventive designers in the history of the fashion industry.
When he announced his leave from the Italian fashion house this past March, it left fans of the brand, like me, completely devastated, to say the least. With no designer said to take his place as of yet, his legacy will never be forgotten.
One honourable mention to this list would be his Spring/Summer 2021 show entitled, “No Strings Attached,” where, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, models were replaced with lifelike marionettes walking down a dollhouse runway featuring a mini Anna Wintour to judge the puppet models.
4. Emma Chamberlain Interviewing Doja Cat at the 2023 Met Gala
Taking the top spot in most awkward interviews of all time, the clip of Doja Cat meowing back at Emma Chamberlain’s questions is something that I think even non-fashion followers have seen.
As uncomfortable as it was to watch, the amount of memes and hilarious tweets that this interaction created is honestly one of the more memorable things I have ever seen at the Met Gala. I have a love-hate relationship with this interview just as much as Doja’s decision to dress as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette.
5. Ariana Maddox’s Revenge Dress
If you are a Bravo fanatic like I am, chances are that you were consumed with the reality TV event of the year, #Scandoval, last spring.
The love affair between Vanderpump Rules stars Raquel Leviss and Ariana Maddox’s long-term partner Tom Sandoval was something fans never saw coming, leaving it, if not anything else, my top comparison to the Roman Empire.
Nothing is as memorable as the final standoff at the annual season reunion, where Ariana confronts Tom in that stunning red dress. I’ve deemed it the ultimate revenge dress since Princess Diana.
6. Carrie Bradshaw’s Wedding Dress Compilation
I have seen the Sex and the City movie dozens of times, and it never gets old. I think my earliest memory of this scene was when I was 10, which, in hindsight, was probably too young to be watching this movie.
Nevertheless, I did fantasize about having a wedding dress try-on sequence like Carrie. Her listing off designers like “Christina La Croix” and “Oscar de la Renta” in all those gorgeous gowns echoes in my mind. Nothing more glamorous has yet to exist!
7. Mirror Palais Collection V at New York Fashion Week
Speaking of wedding dresses, this is what I want to be wearing as I walk down the aisle. Mirror Palais is, without a doubt, my favourite fashion brand to ever exist. But this past Ready to Wear collection, which was showcased at NYFW this September, had my jaw on the floor!
Collection V had models looking like literal fashion angels walking down the NYFW runway. The designer, Marcelo Gaia, tells Fashionista that the concept behind his vision is to make wearable fantasy.
Its hyper-feminine French rococo meets 2000s Sophia Coppola’s twist on vintage Vivienne Westwood makes me only dream of someday owning something from them. I need my Carrie Bradshaw dress unboxing moment with their Ballet Russes Gown!
8. Kim Kardashian’s Interview Magazine Cover
Kim K is arguably the queen of memorable pop-culture moments. However, her posing in the September 2022 issue of Interview magazine is, in my opinion, one of the best covers I have ever seen.
Breaking the internet once again, having her model for an issue entitled “American Dream” is one the most iconic concepts in its own right. From the costuming, the excess denim, and even her bleached eyebrows, everything about this shoot is so absolutely beautiful that I think about its visuals on a weekly basis!