Fashion Show



A bunch of people modeling new clothes while the surrounding crowd gets a good look at them. Usually the models walk one at a time down a raised aisle, known as a catwalk, but this can also be done by unveiling a series of tableaux one by one. In live action, it shows off what a good costume department can do.

In fiction, it's likely as not that an important character is either designing the clothes or modeling them. Otherwise a key event in the story is happening there. Or if not, they are often a chance for the film's costume designer to let rip and try something high-fashion-y.

This was very popular in old movie musicals. And still is popular in Side-Story Bonus Art.

Compare Costume Porn, Fashion Shop Fashion Show, Fashion Magazine, Rule of Glamorous.

Anime and Manga

 * An episode of Wedding Peach ended with Yuri's mother having a wedding dress fashion show.
 * The main characters of Heartcatch Pretty Cure are in a fashion club, so of course this would have to happen at the school festival.
 * In Interstella 5555, while Stella is still captured, the rest of the band sees her attend one.
 * One episode of Tenchi Muyo! GXP is all about a fashion show, with the twist being that the fashions were all new Galaxy Police uniforms. Former model, current GP detective, and main character Amane is the featured model in the show.

Film

 * Ready To Wear aka Pret-a-Porter took place at a fashion show with a NSFW catwalk at the end.
 * Zoolander involves a plot for an assassination to happen at one.
 * The Great Muppet Caper; the victim of the theft that kicked off the film was a famous fashion designer, and as a plot point, Miss Piggy fills in for one of the models.
 * Roberta and the remake Lovely To Look At.
 * The number "Think Pink" from Funny Face.
 * Gigi
 * The Ambassadors Daughter, starring Olivia DeHavilland, Myrna Loy and the late John Forsythe. Forsythe meets DeHavilland (who plays the title character) at one of those lunchtime fashion shows where the models wander among the tables so the diners can view them close-up. This movie is notable for a lot of 1950's-era Gorgeous Period Dress, especially Christian Dior designs of the "New Look" variety.
 * The Jane Russell movie The French Line, which introduced Kim Novak in a nonspeaking role as one of the models in a Fashion Show featuring designs by Russell's character's best friend.
 * The Women: A Fashion Show was the only part of the 1939 film version to be filmed in color.
 * The aptly titled Fashions Of 1934.
 * The number "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" in Easter Parade.
 * The "Beautiful Girl" number in Singin in The Rain.
 * The Sleep-Tite fashion parade at the end of The Pajama Game, which includes a few sight gags: Hines and Gladys walk on wearing convict-striped pajamas and are handcuffed to each other, and Sid and Babe have on, respectively, a pajama bottom only and a pajama top only.
 * The Devil Wears Prada is all over this.
 * Kinky Boots has a substantial amount of time spent on the various models on the catwalk at the Milan Shoe Show.
 * Parodied in The Meteor Man when Meteor Man and the bad guy both end up holding books based on runway modeling (their powers cause them to absorb and assimilate the knowledge from a book).
 * True Stories features the worst fashion show, "A Bonanza of Beauty", ever. One outfit is basically a suit made of lawn grass and sod.
 * In The Stuff, the fur coat and swimsuit scene was shot like a fashion show.
 * One scene in the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day has the titular character attending a fashion show featuring lingire.
 * What a Girl Wants had one where the main character fell over while trying to walk on the stage.
 * Gia opened with one (in some versions) of Gia modeling a Fairytale Wedding Dress with a white fox muff.

Live Action TV

 * Many episodes of Sex and the City, including a scene in The Movie.
 * The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
 * The old (1986) Joan Collins miniseries "Sins" had several Fashion Show scenes. Justified seeing that Collins' character was a fashion model turned couture magnate.
 * Since Ugly Betty is about a fashion magazine, these show up at least once per season.
 * Project Runway. Also The Fashion Show, its successor on Bravo.
 * True Jackson features a fashion show and models regularly just to display new clothing.
 * From the Earth To The Moon: "The Original Wives Club" introduces the Apollo astronauts' wives by having them participating in a charity fashion show.
 * An amateur show is put on at the Youth Center in an episode of Power Rangers Zeo. It features, among other things, Jason modeling in red clothing, a contrast to his currently predominantly black wardrobe.

Music

 * Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" music video is too sexy for this article.
 * En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" video.
 * Jody Watley's "Real Love" video, as a model walking solo down the catwalk.
 * George Michael's "Too Funky" video has actual famous models of the era (including Linda Evangelista and Tyra Banks) and the impressive sight of 58-year-old Julie Newmar still rocking a catsuit.
 * The David Bowie video "Boys Keep Swinging" ends with one, as each of his three female backup singers gets a turn on the catwalk...with the twist that all three are actually him in drag.

Western Animation

 * The Batman: The Animated Series episode "Mean Seasons" started with one.
 * There was a Mother-Daughter pageant in an episode of Daria.
 * A Manatee Gag on Family Guy showed Peter at a fashion show, propositioning the models as they got to the end of the runway and insulting them as they went back.
 * Featured in the Phineas and Ferb episode, "Runaway Runway." And heavily parodied, as could be expected.
 * Superman: The Animated Series episode "Obsession" (Designer is Lana Lang, Model is Darcy, target of Toyman)
 * Prior to that was Lana's introductory episode "My Girl."
 * My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic features Rarity holding a fashion show in "Suited for Success" to show off the dresses she made for her friends.