Rick Owens Ditched Traditional Models For A Step Team

The sameness of fashion shows has prompted many an eye-roll, but today, Rick Owens threw us a bone. There was no runway, per se, at his Spring '14 show in Paris — and none of the usual models, either. Instead, the designer orchestrated a badass step team to showcase his latest collection.

It was a rather brilliant move on his end. For one, Owens' runway was the most diverse of any in the past few weeks. He also bluntly tackled the whole issue of "real" versus "model" women in the industry. These women, who were reportedly plucked from various American college campuses, demanded the attention of the audience. They showed the versatility of the clothes, but also the versatility of the industry, too; for the first time in a long while, here came a show that doubled as a performance piece. It's still too early to tell, but we think the latter half of Paris Fashion Week will be living in Rick Owens' shadow.