Special delivery: the finest invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows

The finest invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows
Chanel: We packed our bags and boarded Chanel Airlines for spring/summer 2016, with a one-way ticket to Karl Lagerfeld’s high-flying runway inside Paris’ Grand Palais.
(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten: The Belgian fashion brand opened (and closed) our eyes with a retro lenticular printed card

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Seeing red

Seeing red: Crimson was the colour du jour this season, with Céline, Paul Smith, Margaret Howell and Tod’s splashing this bold hue across their respective invitations

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent: Hedi Slimane’s black booklet invitation series manifests in the same format each season, but the artists chosen to grace their pages keeps it feeling endlessly fresh. For spring/summer, the American artist and sculptor Larry Bell loaned his gracefully minimalist works – rendered notably in black and white – to the next instalment of the series

(Image credit: Larry Bell)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Roksanda

Roksanda: The London-based, Serbian designer alluded to her bold spring palette, with eggshell blue, canary yellow and black predominantly floating down the runway

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Popcorn at the ready for Jacobs’ theatrical display at Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan

Marc Jacobs: We had popcorn at the ready for Jacobs’ theatrical display at Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - White balance

White balance: A beveled, all-white trend emerged across show invitations this season including (from left) Marni, Proenza Schouler, DKNY and Balenciaga

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Kenzo

Kenzo: Humberto Leon and Carol Kim kept their S/S 2016 inspiration tightly under wraps, instead sending out a gilded vault-like invitation

(Image credit: Humberto Leon)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - MM6 Maison Martin Margiela

MM6 Maison Martin Margiela: A black badge embroidered with a white, illustrated hand set the tone for the house's industrial techno London presentation

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo: The British shoe and accessories house has us daydreaming of next year’s summer with a decidedly tropical invitation for its preview in Milan. Here, a pair of pale yellow palm fronds crafted from paper opened up to reveal details subtly debossed in rose gold foil

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Emilio Pucci

Emilio Pucci: Intensely hued feathers were flying ahead of newly minted creative director Massimo Giorgetti’s first show at the Florentine label

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Pin-ups

Pin-ups: Acne Studios (left), Loewe (centre) and Alexander McQueen all opted for visually charged posters this season

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum: Flower power was the order of the day for Christopher Bailey, who sent out a small but perfectly formed invitation with an elaborate laser-cut floral pattern

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang: The American fashion designer, marking a decade at his eponymous label, heralded his New York show with a black-and-white lenticular print: his brand logo tilted to reveal a numbered barcode, while the thick-cut card was framed with a beveled white edge

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - 1205

1205: It was to be a burgundy affair at Paula Gerbase’s spring/summer show, which she hinted at with a maroon invitation. The show details were printed neatly on an eggshell grey card

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - All the write moves

All the write moves: Several fashion houses including Bally (top left), Delpozo (bottom left) and Burberry (bottom right) impressed with elegant penmanship so delightful and delicate this season

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - 3.1 Phillip Lim:

3.1 Phillip Lim: Celebrating 10 years of his eponymous label, American designer Phillip Lim invited us to ‘stop and smell the flowers’. The invitation arrived in the form of a narrow white box; inside, an amber vial containing seeds to grow fragrant Morning Glory moonflowers (ipomoea alba). Heavenly!

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Akris

Akris: Albert Kriemler paid homage to architect Sou Fujimoto for his spring collection. The invitation arrived folded in a crisp, white die-cut sheet of paper – a nod to Fujimoto’s clean lines and affinity for transparency

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Miu Miu

Miu Miu: A shining silver, bubble-wrap invitation announced Miuccia Prada’s Milan show, seen here with the brand’s customary gold seat-marker

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Krizia

Krizia: Italian brand Krizia’s glacial invitation was a hefty sliver of crystal-clear Perspex, with a crumpled paper-like texture on one side

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Gucci

Gucci: Freshly appointed creative director Alessandro Michele wears his heart on his sleeve - and his unabashedly romantic S/S 2016 collection. The preluding invitation certainly kept no secrets about what to expect from Michele’s second women’s collection for the house. On one side, our Editor-in-Chief’s name was penned with Italian flourish, while the reverse revealed embossed black stars framing a pouch embroidered with flowers and a golden bee

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Valentino

Valentino: Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli heralded their darkly seductive spring/summer outing with a jet-black, wood grain invitation, while the show details were printed in gold

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)

Fashion House invitations from the S/S 2016 women's shows - Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger: The American designer whisked us away to paradise by way of New York this season, sending us a glossy postcard from Mustique Island adorned with a dreamy tropical sunset scene. Closer inspection of the multiplex card revealed a beveled bamboo edge

(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)