Milan and Paris fashion week venues S/S 2013: menswear collections

Moncler Gamme Bleu: Has Milan's Padiglione Visconti turned into a ship? With steel details already resembling a naval deck, Etienne Russo and his Villa Eugenie team embellished the space with lifebuoys and naval flags to fit the nautical mood of the collection. Benches were painted in Moncler's signature red, white and blue in tribute to the French flag

Words: Rosa Bertoli

Moncler Gamme Bleu: Has Milan's Padiglione Visconti turned into a ship? With steel details already resembling a naval deck, Etienne Russo and his Villa Eugenie team embellished the space with lifebuoys and naval flags to fit the nautical mood of the collection. Benches were painted in Moncler's signature red, white and blue in tribute to the French flag

Prada: Prada and AMO collaborated on yet another incredible space. Upon entering the label's via Fogazzaro headquarters, guests walked past a futuristic white hallway spelling out the brand name in large, optically distorted letters to find themselves in the show space, which was completely transformed by the Rotterdam design studio. AMO created an antiseptic contrast with the venue's rough appearance and added geometric elements such as whitewashed seating blocks and a catwalk outlined with light on the wide floor space

Prada: Prada and AMO collaborated on yet another incredible space. Upon entering the label's via Fogazzaro headquarters, guests walked past a futuristic white hallway spelling out the brand name in large, optically distorted letters to find themselves in the show space, which was completely transformed by the Rotterdam design studio. AMO created an antiseptic contrast with the venue's rough appearance and added geometric elements such as whitewashed seating blocks and a catwalk outlined with light on the wide floor space

Trussardi: Set in the garden of a beautiful villa in the heart of Milan, the Trussardi show felt more like an informal summer party than a fashion event. The refreshing set-up by Studio Storage saw the models walk down a path amid the greenery, with props like bikes and sunbeds casually completing the scene

Trussardi: Set in the garden of a beautiful villa in the heart of Milan, the Trussardi show felt more like an informal summer party than a fashion event. The refreshing set-up by Studio Storage saw the models walk down a path amid the greenery, with props like bikes and sunbeds casually completing the scene

Trussardi: Set in the garden of a beautiful villa in the heart of Milan, the Trussardi show felt more like an informal summer party than a fashion event. The refreshing set-up by Studio Storage saw the models walk down a path amid the greenery, with props like bikes and sunbeds casually completing the scene

Salvatore Ferragamo: Every season the 1930s Palazzo Mezzanotte plays host to the Ferragamo show. This year a white geometric entryway emblazoned with the house's logo stood in contrast to the building's neoclassical façade. Inside, the same asymmetrical shape was replicated at the catwalk entrance, with the rest of the space left minimal and a set of spotlights illuminating the models' route

Salvatore Ferragamo: Every season the 1930s Palazzo Mezzanotte plays host to the Ferragamo show. This year a white geometric entryway emblazoned with the house's logo stood in contrast to the building's neoclassical façade. Inside, the same asymmetrical shape was replicated at the catwalk entrance, with the rest of the space left minimal and a set of spotlights illuminating the models' route

Diesel Black Gold: The industrial space on Milan's Padiglione Visconti was overhauled by Golab Agency with minimal white benches and a balcony housing the grand piano that provided the show's soundtrack

Umit Benan: At the Palazzo della Permanente, a white curtain was pulled aside to reveal eight cosy beds, bedroom furniture and accessories such as mirrors, bedside tables and coffee cups. The spectacle was designed by Urban Production

Umit Benan: At the Palazzo della Permanente, a white curtain was pulled aside to reveal eight cosy beds, bedroom furniture and accessories such as mirrors, bedside tables and coffee cups. The spectacle was designed by Urban Production

Missoni: With the theme being travel, the Missoni family brought a piece of the desert to their latest show - treated, of course, with the brand's iconic stripes along the catwalk. A panel of flashlights over the catwalk clashed dramatically with the late afternoon light that pierced through the large windows of the Fabbrica del Vapore

Calvin Klein Collection: A wide, minimal catwalk at Calvin Klein's Milan headquarters was lined with benches and dramatically lit by the brand's in-house design team

Neil Barrett: The courtyard of the 17th-century Palazzo del Senato was the backdrop for Neil Barrett's latest menswear offering. Models walked under the beautiful loggia and through the yard, using with the pavement tiles as a catwalk

Gucci: Each season the Gucci team subtly changes the feel of the sleek Piazza Oberdan; this time elegant grey seats were lined up on each side of the brightly illuminated white catwalk while the rest of the space was kept dark

Jil Sander: Thierry Dreyfus created a stark white interior with benches, catwalk and a panelled backdrop cut from the same minimal visual code as the rest of the Jil Sander showroom. The effect was striking but discreet, with big spotlights illuminating the space

Z Zegna: The Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro's striking steel structures were dressed with coloured light panels to match the accents of Paul Surridge's collection

Dior Homme: Over in Paris, the Villa Eugenie team transformed the Tennis Club de Paris into a futuristic space with stark white lighting and contrasting black seating blocks

Kenzo: At the Maison du Judo, Kenzo's guests were seated on the terraces, while on the floor below them plywood boxes served as pedestals for the models. Villa Eugenie used them to create contrast with the venue's original red floor

Kenzo: At the Maison du Judo, Kenzo's guests were seated on the terraces, while on the floor below them plywood boxes served as pedestals for the models. Villa Eugenie used them to create contrast with the venue's original red floor

Louis Vuitton: In the pitch-dark Halle Freyssinet, an elongated screen became a catwalk for the Louis Vuitton show, produced by La Mode en Images. At the entrance were interlocking butterflies emblazoned with the house monogram, while during the show subtle images played under the models' feet.
Courtesy: Louis Vuitton; Bertrand Rindoff Petroff

Thom Browne: The striking garden at the 18th-century Maison de la Chimie was the setting for Thom Browne's carefully choreographed show. Pairs of metallic silver shoes sat in a grid on the grass, waiting for models (with faces painted to match) to step into them

Rick Owens: La Mode en Images created an almost pitch black set up for Rick Owens at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy. A dramatic cascade of white light marked the models' entrance, providing the only decorative element to the otherwise bare warehouse space

Paul Smith: The hall at Lycee Carnot was decked with a bright seafoam green floor and catwalk to match the metal details of the structure. Show producers La Mode en Images also lined two rows of black wooden benches on each side of the double catwalk for contrast

Hermès: With the show taking place in the cloister of the 18th century Couvent des Cordeliers, guests were seated on rows of red chairs aligned under the garden's portico. The Villa Eugenie team subtly enhanced the early evening's natural light with discreet spotlights dotted around the garden

Kris Van Assche: The Garage Turenne's modern structure was enhanced with stark lighting, composed by Villa Eugenie

Dries Van Noten: The Villa Eugenie Team painted a white catwalk to clash with the rough appearance of the Garage Vaugirard, and lined it with wooden black benches. Photography: Marion Leflour

Dries Van Noten: The Villa Eugenie Team painted a white catwalk to clash with the rough appearance of the Garage Vaugirard, and lined it with wooden black benches. Photography: Marion Leflour

Dries Van Noten: The Villa Eugenie Team painted a white catwalk to clash with the rough appearance of the Garage Vaugirard, and lined it with wooden black benches. Photography: Marion Leflour

Givenchy: Despite being a huge space, the atmosphere in the Halle Freyssinet was intimate, thanks to two narrow rows of white benches outlining a concrete catwalk, and a beautiful geometric arch of white lilies creating a romantic passage for the models' entrance

Givenchy: Despite being a huge space, the atmosphere in the Halle Freyssinet was intimate, thanks to two narrow rows of white benches outlining a concrete catwalk, and a beautiful geometric arch of white lilies creating a romantic passage for the models' entrance

Lanvin: It was all about the dusky lights. Etienne Russo and his team placed a thin neon door to light the models' entrance over the black rubber catwalk. Further lighting was provided by a panel of spotlights placed on one side, as well as the elevated windows that lined the space

Lanvin: It was all about the dusky lights. Etienne Russo and his team placed a thin neon door to light the models' entrance over the black rubber catwalk. Further lighting was provided by a panel of spotlights placed on one side, as well as the elevated windows that lined the space