Power posing

THIS SEASON, OLD-SCHOOL SHOWMANSHIP CAME ROARING BACK TO THE RUNWAY

- Mikelle Street

One of the most viral moments of the SS20 collections — aside from J.Lo at Versace in a re-creation of that neckline-down-to-there Grammys dress — was the model Leon Dame stomping down the runway at the Maison Margiela show in Paris. It was the walk that got everyone talking: chaotic, hunched and slightly rushed. Not only did it go viral, it netted Dame a special Instagram follower: Rihanna.

The man behind it was movement director Pat Boguslawski, a former model who has worked with Maison Margiela since 2018. And though the walk garnered laughs, it was, at its core, a performance that harked back to a time of theatricality on the runway, something John Galliano has incorporated into his shows since his early days. “If [it’s supposed to be] a fashion show, why are we watching a street walk?” says Boguslawski. “There should be some sort of performance, so we can see these characters.”