Fashion & Beauty

Set stories: the top womenswear show venues from S/S 2017

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Céline: After being inspired by the work of Dan Graham at New York gallery Dia Beacon many years ago, Phoebe Philo finally got to collaborate with the American artist on this season's show set. An S-shaped glass pavilion reflected and refracted the collection as the models criss-crossed the runway. 'I wanted to see my collection cast through the kaleidoscope of Dan's installation,' said Philo of the collaboration. 'The fact that people can see themselves and the collection makes for more complex reflections'

(Image credit: Photography: Antonio Camera)

By Ali Morris

last updated 31 October 2022

in Features

**Anya Hindmarch**: Conceived by set designer Stuart Nunn and Inca Productions, Anya Hindmarch’s labyrinthine show set at London’s Lindley Hall was dramatically unveiled from under a giant circular lid that was lifted up by mechanical hydraulics. Rising up into the air, tilting and changing colours throughout the show, the lid revealed a sunken spiral below, from which models emerged wrapped in Hindmarch’s *Circulus* collection

Rtw Show Decor Pictures By Olivier Saillant 002 — **Chanel**: Paris’ Grand Palais was once again the scene for Chanel’s fashion show, where Karl Lagerfeld installed the Chanel data centre. Although more restrained than previous seasons, the still impressive set-up featured vast rows of twisted coloured wires, switches and LED light boxes that gave the impression of being inside a giant computer

**JW Anderson**: Newly painted sage green, last season’s wood panelled corridors made a return for JW Anderson’s show at London’s Yeomanry House. Accompanied by buffed, blonde parquetry floors and the spring-like sound of bird song, the intimate set-up once again provided every guest with a front row seat

Dior Ss 17 Set — **Dior**: In stark contrast to the extravagant floral scene setting of Raf Simons’ reign, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut show set for Dior was a simple affair. Installed in a no-frills dove-grey hallway in the gardens of the Musée Rodin, Bureau Betak’s pared-back wooden catwalk was flanked by a symmetrical arrangement of wooden plank benches that let Chiuri’s slogan T-shirts, insect embroidery, floral lace and wistfully illustrated sheer silk dresses do all the talking

Roksandago — **Roksanda**: British illustrator and set designer Gary Card conjured a display of pebble-like wooden cut-outs for the Roksanda Illincic show at 180 Strand in central London. Mounted across a pale pink wall that ran the entire length of the elongated runway, the shapes perfectly complemented the billowing silhouettes of Ilincic’s collection. In the background, classical piano music played out with a voiceover by the pianist, relating how playing the instrument is like ‘sunshine pouring through my fingers’

Antonio Camera Boss Go — **Boss**: Lined with vivid, circle-shaped lights that pulsed on and off, Boss’ show at New York’s Skylight Clarkson Square was conceived by London-based firm Chameleon Visual. Marking the studio’s second runway concept for the Jason Wu-led label, the quivering, colour-filled backdrop perfectly matched the collection’s David Hockney-inspired palette.

Erdem Set Print 3548 Go — **Erdem**: The designer's outing took place amid a shipwreck in the basement of the Old Selfridge’s Hotel. Inspired by the recent discovery of a silk dress belonging to the Countess of Roxburghe – a gown that too had been lost at the bottom of the ocean in Holland in 1642 – Erdem Moralioglu collaborated with Robin Brown to create a mise-en-scène in which the doomed ship completes its journey. Supposedly arriving in its intended destination of Deauville some 300 years late in the 1930s, Erdem’s crew of models navigated a set of boardwalks interspersed with torn sails and emerald ‘pools’ of water

**Alexander McQueen**: A rug-covered runway appeared to have risen up from the gravel at Paris’ Orangerie du Senat this season, the setting for Sarah Burton's show. Tying in with her Shetland Islands-inspired collection, the tapestry rugs formed a wild patchwork of colour reminiscent of the subarctic archipelago’s rugged coastline

**La Perla:** Palazzo Clerici’s Tiepolo Room provided an overwhelmingly opulent backdrop for La Perla’s presentation. Surrounded by 18th century frescos by painter Giambattista Tiepolo, the Italian lingerie label’s new 'Mia' vanity table by Walter Terruso took centre stage

**Bottega Veneta**: Showing for the first time outside of its own venues, Bottega Veneta’s early morning show at Milan’s Accademia di Brera – a magnificent 18th century palazzo that houses the city’s top fine arts academy – marked not only the brand’s 50th anniversary but also creative director Tomas Maier’s 15th year at the helm. Staged under the Accademia‘s grand stone-arched classroom hallways, classical sculptures and artworks made a show-stopping backdrop for Maier’s rousing tribute to his greatest hits

**Sies Marjan:** Sander Lak's sophomore show for his brand Sies Marjan took place inside the members-only library at the New York City Bar Association, complete with a show set design by Bureau Betak. With such impressive surrounds, little intervention was needed. Guests were seated on simple white benches within the library's book-lined, as they watched models snake their way through the stone columns and under soaring ceilings

Louis Vuitton Venue — **Louis Vuitton**: Held in a vast space on Place Vendôme, the show gave guests a sneak peek of the label’s future flagship scheduled to open in 2017. Although the building is still very much a work in progress, its raw concrete walls and exposed piping provided a pleasingly understated backdrop for Nicolas Ghesquière’s fierce silhouettes

Philiplim Go Highres — **3.1 Phillip Lim**: Built in 1933 to unload and house trains from the historic High Line track, New York’s cavernous Skylight Clarkson North was transformed into a petal-stern beach for Phillip Lim’s S/S 2017 runway show. Lit by low-lying spotlights that cast tall, dusky shadows, guests were seated on simple metal benches scattered around the 70,000 sq ft space. Just like the clunky platforms and dainty florals within Lim’s collection, the atmospheric venue perfectly blended the industrial with the romantic

Prada Womens Ss 17 Fashion Showspace — **Prada**: The Italian house’s AMO-designed show space was built over the remnants of the previous season’s set, whose structure was still visible through the multiple layers of metal mesh. In the centre, an elevated ramp divided the room while risers were arranged along the perimetre to accommodate guests. As lights filtered through the installation’s layers, creating a pale glow, the show set was bought to life by a 12-screen film installation by New York design studio 2x4 that previewed clips from a soon-to-be released short film titled *Past Forward*, a collaboration between Hollywood heavyweight David O Russell and Miuccia Prada

**Dries Van Noten**: A medley otherworldly botanical sculptures encased within blocks of ice lined either side of Dries van Noten’s black runway in Paris this season. Created by Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto, the slowly melting ‘iced flowers’ were accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack of dripping water. Fittingly, Madonna’s *Frozen* track came on – first instrumental, then acapella – creating a hauntingly serene atmosphere.

Joseph Show Set — **Joseph:** An industrial estate just south of London’s Lambeth Bridge offered a rough-around-the-edges setting for Louise Trotter’s collection that set out to dress the urban nomad

Loewe Space — **Loewe**: A 5:14-minute-long video full of blue ocean imagery by Dutch artist Magali Reus titled *—Offshore*, 2011, anchored the setting for Loewe’s latest womenswear presentation at Maison de l’UNESCO. Displayed alongside a selection of carefully chosen ceramics, lamps, objects and furniture, the film played out over a grid of screens under a white louvred pavilion – an arrangement that not only functioned as a backdrop, but as inspiration for the entire collection

Thom Browne Venue — **Thom Browne**: Never one to shy away from a spectacle, Thom Browne debuted his ‘Fun in the Sun’ collection in a show space that resembled a swimming pool. Adorned in a cheerful array of blue, red and white tiles that created a pixelated effect, Browne’s bathing belles fluttered out into the Greek swimming bath runway donning bulbous floral kaftans, tropical print dresses and sequinned gowns

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Ali Morris

Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.

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