Many people would argue that these days, in the age of the Internet, fashion shows should be obsolete. Now that the most influential designers in the business — including Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler — are live-streaming their exclusive shows, and you can view complete collections online within minutes of them coming down the runway, it's a valid wonder why brands still put forth so much manpower and money to produce them.
The main focus of a fashion show is — and will always be — the clothing, but that is only one facet of the complete Fashion Week experience. To help tell each season's story, designers take great care in choosing lighting, styling, staging, and perhaps most importantly, a soundtrack, to enhance their collections and to create a specific mood around them. This is where the true spirit of a fashion show lies, and when they're successful, what you get is an all-encompassing feast for the senses — something you could never replicate by clicking through a slideshow or watching a live stream.
From powerful, classic rock anthems and bass-heavy bangers that proclaim "bad girls do it well," to the synth-pop sounds of a Ryan Gosling flick and the theme song of a certain cult television show, here are the best songs from the runways of Fall 2012 Fashion Week in New York — and you can listen to them all below!
Show: Jill Stuart
Song: Weezer - Say it Ain't So
Show: SUNO and Theyskens' Theory
Song: M.I.A. - Bad Girls
Show: Richard Chai LOVE
Song: The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
Show: 3.1 Phillip Lim
Song: College feat. Electric Youth - A Real Hero
Show: rag & bone
Song: House of Pain - Jump Around
Show: BCBG Max Azria
Song: Justice - On'n'On
Show: Rodarte
Song: U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Show: Theyskens' Theory
Song: Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain
Show: Michael Kors
Song: Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
Show: Alexander Wang
Song: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Rockers to Swallow
Show: Ralph Lauren
Song: The Downton Abbey Theme Song
Show: Prabal Gurung
Song: Radiohead - Lotus Flower (SBTRKT Remix), music by Kris Bones
