How does novelty in fashion come about? Alicia Kühl shows that novelty is no longer claimed in fashion design, but in fashion show design. Her work in fashion theory, drawing, among other things, upon theories of performance, of space, and of atmospheres, investigates fashion shows of select Haute-Couture and Prêt-à-Porter designers of the last 30 years and retraces to what extent the atmospheres created there are employed as a solution to a vestimentary crisis of invention (»Inventionsbredouille«). For the first time, this study questions the function and position of fashion shows within the cycle of fashion, which also entails a reevaluation of the role of clothing.