Fashion week venues S/S 2013: womenswear collections

Chanel: The Grand Palais once again served as the dramatic venue for Chanel. With the focus of the show being on 'energy', models walked on blue hi-tech solar panels, while gigantic white wind turbines blew a summer breeze throughout the space

Rick Owens: A cascade of giant soapsuds formed the backdrop of Rick Owen's 'work in progress' catwalk, gradually gathering into a fluffy mountain of foam by the time the show reached its finale. Photography: Valerio Mezzanotti / www.nowfashion.com

Rick Owens: A cascade of giant soapsuds formed the backdrop of Rick Owen's 'work in progress' catwalk, gradually gathering into a fluffy mountain of foam by the time the show reached its finale. Photography: Valerio Mezzanotti / www.nowfashion.com

Rick Owens: A cascade of giant soapsuds formed the backdrop of Rick Owen's 'work in progress' catwalk, gradually gathering into a fluffy mountain of foam by the time the show reached its finale. Photography: Valerio Mezzanotti / www.nowfashion.com

Christian Dior: Raf Simons worked with Bureau Betak to design the set for his first pret-a-porter show at Christian Dior, playing with contrasting tones and textures. Glossy black chairs sat alongside pastel pink, canary yellow and baby blue curtains, which gently wafted over the windows and passageways cut into the white walls of the space

Moncler Gamme Rouge: For Spring, Moncler's catwalk aptly took the form of a swimming pool, surrounded by wooden decking. A set of swings and trampolines recreated the playful, summery atmospheres of Italian Lidos

Moncler Gamme Rouge: For Spring, Moncler's catwalk aptly took the form of a swimming pool, surrounded by wooden decking. A set of swings and trampolines recreated the playful, summery atmospheres of Italian Lidos

Moncler Gamme Rouge: For Spring, Moncler's catwalk aptly took the form of a swimming pool, surrounded by wooden decking. A set of swings and trampolines recreated the playful, summery atmospheres of Italian Lidos

Fendi: The Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in Milan served as the show space for Fendi. The playfully surreal set's walls were lined with geometric stripes, while large silver balloons hung above the catwalk

Prada: The Italian brand once again tasked AMO to transform its via Fogazzaro headquarters in Milan. The Rotterdam-based studio created a graphic structure of black columns, using the same material for the suspended rectangle of lights and the catwalk rails

Roland Mouret: Thierry Dreyfus and his Eyesight Production team transformed the Hotel Westin's Salon Impérial with a striking scaffolding structure of stroboscopic light tubes, which played with the space's 19th century features
Photography: Mathias Wendzinski

Roland Mouret: Thierry Dreyfus and his Eyesight Production team transformed the Hotel Westin's Salon Impérial with a striking scaffolding structure of stroboscopic light tubes, which played with the space's 19th century features

Alexander McQueen: Sarah Burton's bee-inspired collection was brought to life on set by seamlessly integrated moving imagery and sound. Models walked on a honeycomb-patterned catwalk, while a screen behind them played a film by John Maybury. The English filmmaker's second collaboration with the brand was created in a extremely wide-screen format to emulate the staging of Kabuki theatre at Kabuki-Za in Tokyo. He drew images from nature in response to particular embroideries and fabrics in Burton's collection, creating a giant mood board effect. This came accompanied by a sound track of tunes interlaced with abstract bee noises, conjured by John Gosling

Alexander McQueen: Sarah Burton's bee-inspired collection was brought to life on set by seamlessly integrated moving imagery and sound. Models walked on a honeycomb-patterned catwalk, while a screen behind them played a film by John Maybury. The English filmmaker's second collaboration with the brand was created in a extremely wide-screen format to emulate the staging of Kabuki theatre at Kabuki-Za in Tokyo. He drew images from nature in response to particular embroideries and fabrics in Burton's collection, creating a giant mood board effect. This came accompanied by a sound track of tunes interlaced with abstract bee noises, conjured by John Gosling

Paul Smith: Over at Central Saint Martins' brand new Granary Building near London's Kings Cross, Paul Smith's Miller Kavari-produced show featured minimal black benches and a white catwalk, making the most of the space's striking interiors

Paul Smith: Over at Central Saint Martins' brand new Granary Building near London's Kings Cross, Paul Smith's Miller Kavari-produced show featured minimal black benches and a white catwalk, making the most of the space's striking interiors

Maison Martin Margiela: The conceptual label's Spring show was held in a literal bubble. The ornate interior of the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild was virtually unrecognisable after it was shrouded from floor to ceiling in sheets of white plastic. Light artist Thierry Dreyfus created a surreal atmosphere by flooding the room with bright sunlight, using huge cinematic lights outside the windows

Maison Martin Margiela: The conceptual label's Spring show was held in a literal bubble. The ornate interior of the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild was virtually unrecognisable after it was shrouded from floor to ceiling in sheets of white plastic. Light artist Thierry Dreyfus created a surreal atmosphere by flooding the room with bright sunlight, using huge cinematic lights outside the windows

Vivienne Westwood Red Label: As part of the designer's celebration of British talent (she was chosen as a representative for the Great Britain Worldwide initiative) Vivienne Westwood held her Red Label show in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. The marbled floor of the building's stunning interior was used as the catwalk

Vivienne Westwood Red Label: As part of the designer's celebration of British talent (she was chosen as a representative for the Great Britain Worldwide initiative) Vivienne Westwood held her Red Label show in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. The marbled floor of the building's stunning interior was used as the catwalk

Chloé: Daylight pierced through the crystal roof of the Espace Ephemere in the Jardins des Tuileries, casting a fresh glow over this OBO-produced show. The wooden runway came in the house's signature shade of 'beige-rosé'

Rochas: Thierry Dreyfus created a white show space for the Rochas' show in Paris' Grand Palais, lined with white cube benches. A large translucent mosaic formed the catwalk's backdrop

Neil Barrett: In the brand's small-scale presentation in Paris' Salle Erard, models stepped out from behind a theatrical set printed with images from the catwalk itself

Hermès: At the Galerie Nationale Jeu De Paume, Hermès charged Etienne Russo and his Villa Eugenie team with creating an intimate and minimal setting for the show, consisting of black benches and muted lighting accents

Givenchy: The centrepiece of the show in the Lycée Carnot's majestic Hall Guy Môquet was an oversized mahogany organ, framed by a red cube. The modern, transportable instrument was invented by French engineer Henri Bouffard, who also provided the live musical accompaniment to the show

Givenchy: The centrepiece of the show in the Lycée Carnot's majestic Hall Guy Môquet was an oversized mahogany organ, framed by a red cube. The modern, transportable instrument was invented by French engineer Henri Bouffard, who also provided the live musical accompaniment to the show

Jil Sander: Thierry Dreyfus transformed the via Beltrami space beyond recognition by raising the floor and lowering the ceiling with stark white panels, each bearing a subtle concave/convex distortion in the centre. The minimal space followed the brand's partiality for simplicity, with lighting once again being key to the space

Jil Sander: Thierry Dreyfus transformed the via Beltrami space beyond recognition by raising the floor and lowering the ceiling with stark white panels, each bearing a subtle concave/convex distortion in the centre. The minimal space followed the brand's partiality for simplicity, with lighting once again being key to the space

Akris: Albert Kriemler's collection for Akris' 90th anniversary was heavily influenced by Brazilian landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx, whose curvaceous designs featured as prints on clothing and accessories. In Palais de Chaillot, the models emerged from a tropical garden created by artist Laurence Mendioni

The futuristic Topshop show space over in London, with its spaceship-like catwalk, was the location for J.W. Anderson, as well as a number of other brands this season, such as Louise Gray and Mary Katrantzou

The futuristic Topshop show space over in London, with its spaceship-like catwalk, was the location for J.W. Anderson, as well as a number of other brands this season, such as Louise Gray and Mary Katrantzou

Valentino: Blush pink seats framed Valentino's runway in Jardin des Tuileries at Espace Ephemere Tuileres. The catwalk was lined by a pavement of cross-grain wood tiles

Max Mara: Rows of Philippe Starck's Victoria Ghost chairs for Kartell lined each side of the u-shaped catwalk, with the camel-coloured screen bearing the fashion house's logo serving as backdrop

Trussardi: The wide via Savona space in Milan was transformed into a Manhattan rooftop. Referencing the collection's urban influences, images of downtown New York were projected on the entrance walls and at the back of the catwalk, which was furnished to resemble a rooftop summer party, complete with graffiti, a barbecue and lounge areas

Trussardi: The wide via Savona space in Milan was transformed into a Manhattan rooftop. Referencing the collection's urban influences, images of downtown New York were projected on the entrance walls and at the back of the catwalk, which was furnished to resemble a rooftop summer party, complete with graffiti, a barbecue and lounge areas