Fashion month is known for the introduction of new, exciting styles and trends that are followed by the masses of high end women and teenage fashionistas around the world.

This year’s fashion month started off in New York City, which is arguably the most well known week. Sixty nine designers, including BCBG MAXAZRIA, Badgley Mishcka, and Jeremy Scott, put their designs on the runway, with many other designers following somewhat similar trends. Watching some of the shows online through the NYFW website, I noticed lots of bright, spring colors and models with natural hairstyles to keep attention on the clothes.

The real star of the show at NYFW, however, was Kanye West with his fashion line, “Yeezy”. Kanye’s impromptu show created lots of buzz on social media with his use of neutral colors and seemingly “tattered and worn” designs. Although many other designers at NYFW were upset by Kanye’s out-of-the-blue show, as was reported by Harper’s Bazaar, the show was ultimately a success because of West’s social status and social media personality. It ended up being the most talked about show of the week.

Next on the calendar was London Fashion Week. Designers there included: Burberry, Topshop Unique, House of Holland, and a Kate Middleton favorite, Temperley London. The LFW website provided me with recordings of the runway shows and behind the scenes videos of some of the designers. While watching these and seeing pictures, I was able to see the “theme” of the week, anything goes. I was overwhelmed by the pastels, patterns and neons, but at the same time drawn to them. The shows had a weird way of pulling me in, through the use of amazing technology and attention grabbing clothes and hairstyles. Many models were styled with blunt, short bobs, or super straight long locks. The over the top designs were showcased in bright, airy venues, and it really helped the clothes take center stage.

After London came Milan’s Fashion Week. Milan is known as the “fashion center” of Europe, being the home of many high-end, well known designers. The week included runway shows by fashion masters Versace, Gucci, Prada and Moschino. What I saw, through videos on the MFW website, was heavily made up stages and some extremely strange clothes. Moschino, who are known for their out-there design choices, had their models dressed like fire fighters with traffic cones on their heads. Honestly, I was disappointed by MFW. To be fair, I had expectations that might have been too high but I expected more from one of the “fashion capitals of the world”.

Most surprising overall was Paris Fashion Week, the closing of this year’s Fashion Month. Paris is the home of some of the most classic, world renowned fashion houses in the world, such as Chanel, Hermes, and Yves St. Laurent. Since PFW ended on October 7, I didn’t have much to go on in regards to videos, so I had to base my observation on pictures alone. After reading a review on The New York Times’ website, I was convinced that Paris had redefined and defied their stereotype as being the hoity-toity fashion capital for the rich and famous. What I saw and read was an incredible evolution of fashion that went from classic looks to edgy new fashion statements. Paris was able to showcase that they are not only capable of traditional, classic, high end fashion, but can also conquer the demands of the digital age we live in with risque and modern trends.

Overall, my experience of virtually attending each fashion week was a whirlwind adventure. From New York City to Paris, the fashion I saw represented not only the dominance of the technological era we live in but also the classic, modern traditions of Fashion Week’s past that will always be a stable reminder of our fashion roots.