2012 Runway news: Such eye-catchers
Stefano Pilati was out at Yves Saint Laurent and in at Ermenegildo Zegna. Versus, Azzaro and Vionnet lost their designers, and Jil Sander was back in at Jil Sander, after Raf Simons (pictured) left that label for Dior. Nicolas Ghesquière exited Balenciaga, the house he helped relaunch practically from the ashes after he took the helm as creative director in 1997. Less than a month later, Alexander Wang was named to replace him. Betsey Johnson went out of business in April -- and now is reinventing herself under new parent company Steve Madden. (A yearlong whirlwind) (Giuseppe Cacace / AFP / Getty Images)
Gasps. Slaps. One-upmanship. Proudly carried heads. The year’s big news on or near the runways.
The scenery at runway shows now rivals that of Hollywood blockbuster productions. In March, Louis Vuitton’s Marc Jacobs countered with an $8-million steam train that rolled into a tent in front of Paris’ Louvre. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
Celebrities are all-important for attracting attention nowadays. Say what you will about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian -- and goodness knows we’ve all said something -- but there’s no denying that the two are one of the world’s most fashion-conscious couples. Both have done design work or at least lent their name to fashion lines, and they made front-row appearances at runway shows throughout the year. West seems content to be sitting on the sidelines for now, having scaled back his ambitions to be a designer himself. Although he showed his collection on the Paris runways in March to an audience that included Anna Wintour and the Olsen twins, West did not stage a repeat performance in September. (March, September) (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
Katie Holmes tried to move beyond her divorce from Tom Cruise by unveiling her Holmes & Yang collection at New York Fashion Week for the first time. Co-created with stylist Jeanne Yang, the collection was about elevating casual dress. (September) (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images)
Hollywood wife Liberty Ross walked tall on the runway at Alexander Wang’s high-profile New York Fashion Week show, proving to her wandering husband, director Rupert Sanders, actress Kristen Stewart (with whom he had his fling) and a universe of scandal-gawkers that there’s life after infidelity. Intrigue with the mess continued the following month, when the chastened Stewart attended the Balenciaga runway show in Paris, as the new face of the house’s Florabotanica perfume. (September and October) (Fernanda Calfat / Getty Images for MercedesBenz F)