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Milan and Paris Fashion week S/S 2012 invitations: Menswear
Milan and Paris Fashion week S/S 2012 invitations: Menswear
A kaleidoscopic of some of our favourite invitations from the Milan S/S 2012 menswear collections
Jil Sander's take on the super simple, with the juxtaposition of subtle embossing and the thickness of the card, was sublime
Marni opted for the opposite print treatment - a similarly minimal debossed effect
Marni
Titled 'Third Generation Italians', this was a rather touching homage to Nino Cerruti by Umit Benan for his Spring collection
Umit Benan
Riding on the wave of fashion week, this Bottega Veneta's invitation was sent out to mark the unveiling of the brand's first fragrance created by Tomas Maier. Of course, Bottega Veneta's invitations always come in this iconic shade, but the standout this year was an embossed paper version of the house's signature 'intrecciato' leather-weaving technique
Bottega Veneta
Embossed plywood over at Alexander McQueen
Sailing its way to us was Etro's paper boat - an indication of its Mediterranean-inspired collection
Striding away from its old image as a conventional heritage brand, Pringle of Scotland marked the arrival of its new design director Alistair Carr with a deceptively old-fashioned photograph that had a nifty 'peel and reveal' strip, unveiling a lightning streak of bright fashion-forward print that appears in the new collection
Pringle of Scotland
Pringle of Scotland
The usual quality we've come to expect from Prada's invitations - this invitation and accompanying seat marker both featured unapologetically bold screen-printed lettering over wood-textured painted card
Prada
Emporio Armani's futuristic show invitation came with laser-cut detailing, but was also more importantly embedded with a microchip - allowing us one painless swipe of the invite over the iPad to gain entry to the show
Emporio Armani
Emporio Armani
A kaleidoscopic of some of our favourite invitations from the Paris S/S 2012 menswear collections
A farmland scene acts as a promise of things to come for the Junya Watanabe show, which took place in the greenness of the Institut National de Jeunes Sourds
We're all for preparation - in the case of Dior Homme, there is much to be said for this floorplan detailing the show's seating map
Dior Homme
Tissue paper chic from Comme des Garçons
Comme des Garçons
The ultimate classic modernist invitation from Margaret Howell, complete with 'Yves Klein blue' colour-blocking
Margaret Howell
Margaret Howell
We found these wooden fans on our seats at the Lanvin show - technically not an 'invitation', but definitely an indispensable item for one of the hottest fashion weeks in history
Staying cool again with this graphic Jonathan Adler for Lacoste fan
Jonathan Adler for Lacoste
A glossy, oversized and monochromatic affair at Raf Simons (bar an eye-popping fluorescent orange spray-painted 'cross' motif)
Raf Simons
With an emphasis on exploration and travel this season, Louis Vuitton's invitation was a booklet of fold-it-yourself airmail letter sheets - branded, of course
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Tonal black on black over at Dries Van Noten
The smallest invitation in our edit, the Maison Martin Margiela card may have been mini...
... but it maxed out on impact with its enclosed Metro carnet ticket and stamped 'invitation' labelling
