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

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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)

By Jessica Klingelfuss

last updated 10 October 2022

in Inspiration

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

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

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

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

Popcorn at the ready for Jacobs&rsquo; theatrical display at Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan — **Marc Jacobs:** We had popcorn at the ready for Jacobs’ theatrical display at Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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