They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in these cases, they were worth a thousand likes. The real potential of fashion and Instagram has yet to be seen, but we are having a whale of a time watching what goes down in the meantime. Here are our top fashion Instagram moments of 2015…
Zoolander’s Valentino cameo
No matter what the stereotypes say, fashion loves to make fun of itself. So when Derek Zoolander and Hansel, played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson respectively, walked out on the Valentino autumn/winter 15 catwalk giving (in the words of RuPaul) face, face, face, all hands and iPhones were in the air to capture the moment.
Joan Didion for Céline
For an industry obsessed with youth, 2015 saw a wave of iconic women of a certain age fronting fashion campaigns such as Cher for Marc Jacobs and Joni Mitchell for Saint Laurent, to name a few. But none generated as much hysteria as when Céline revealed Joan Didion as the face of its campaign last January, creating the ultimate marriage of cool brand and eternally cool woman.
Eva Chen’s new job
If there is an editor that has truly won social media, it’s Eva Chen. This year the Teen Vogue alum and former Lucky Magazine EIC took on the shiny new role of Head of Fashion Partnerships for the platform that helped make her famous. How did she announce her new gig to the world? Via Instagram of course. Since the appointment, Chen's been rolling out a seemingly endless stream of selfies from her offices, all featuring one major player after another (including Alber Elbaz after his split with Lanvin.) We can't wait to see what all these meetings will mean for 2016.
Lineisy Montero's Prada debut
If there was one girl that fashion fell hard for this year, it was 19-year-old Dominican model Lineisy Montero. And the moment that kicked it all off: her runway debut in Prada's autumn/winter 15 show. A win for natural hair fans around the world, the show set the wheels in motion for Lineisy to be one of the girls of the season.
Caitlyn Jenner’s big reveal
It was a cultural moment, really, and one that defined 2015. But it was also one that resonated in the fashion world and is partly the reason why we're seeing so many trans models (Hari Nef, Andreja Pejic, Tschan Andrews and more) gaining acceptance right now. Yes, Laverne Cox and many others came before Caitlyn. But when Jenner appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in a cream bustier and matching briefs, with a caption that read 'Everybody has challenges in dealing with life. I'm so happy after such a long struggle and finally living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. It feels so good. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me,' she helped make it possible for the transgender community to finally being represented in mainstream media.
Rick Owens spring/summer 16 show
Always a leader and never a follower, Rick Owens's shows have increasingly become the stuff of Instagram lore. His recent Paris offering entitled Cyclops saw models suspended from each other like human backpacks in what Rick said was symbolic of support and quickly became one of the week's main talking points.
Rihanna Met Ball Dress
It depends on who you ask: she was either a vision in yellow in her Guo Pei gown complete with massive train or a giant pizza. When the singer showed up to this year’s Met Ball in a look that paid homage to the exhibition's theme, China: Through the Looking Glass, she quickly became the meme of the night. Omelette, pepperoni pizza or quesadilla anyone?
Words by Lynette Nylander
