Over the years the art of the Runway has begun to evolve. The classic, long runway has been a staple of Fashion Weeks the World over with models walking the full length, posing and then walking back again but things are becoming far less simple.

The pioneer of the alternative runway is Hussein Chalayan. He has paved the way for future catwalk creativity with his shows, ranging from live chess games with his models as pieces to making his models fight their way against extreme gale force winds. The addition of an extra feature enhances every aspect of the show, it excites the audience, gives the clothes movement and, most importantly, make people talk about them.

At London Fashion Week there is always a sense of fun and celebration at the alternative shows, last season House of Blue Eyes invaded the audience, dancing, singing and all this with very little on for a fashion show. A similar scene was set at Nasir Mazhar where statuesque models dressed in bikinis and enormous hats hidden away in the vaults underneath Somerset House, armed only with Poodles.

Theatrics are very much the way forward at Paris Fashion Week, creatively chic compared to London's sexy scene. Viktor and Rolf took backstage to the runway by personally dressing each model at the end of the runway. It's not only a creative way to show off the collection, but it also makes Viktor and Rolf seem more personable by including themselves.

Chanel is an entirely different ball game, as they imported an entire iceberg into the venue. The models appear from a hollowed out cave in the middle of the iceberg, then strut along the melting ice of a runway. There were several lost shoes floating in the water by the end of the show, it's always nice to add a little bit of danger to a show!

Words by Clare Potts. Images from Coutorture and Grazia.

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