World domination: Virgil Abloh’s debut catwalk show for Louis Vuitton was wonderfully diverse. Its first third was walked by black models, and featured a plethora of the artistic director’s musician industry friends. Abloh was keen to emphasise this eclecticism, and on guest’s seats a document holder – branded with ‘1’ in neon orange laminate – came complete with a world map highlighting the location of every model’s origin. Photography: Aylin Bayhan
Clutch control: For their creative debuts at Dior and Burberry, Kim Jones and Riccardo Tisci gave guests a practical pochette. The Dior menswear invitation came inside a a chic coated clutch bag printed with a toile de Jouy pattern, mimicking the fabric used in the maison’s first boutique. While at Burberry, guests were treated to a soft envelope pouch, its foulard silk emblazoned with the brand’s new Peter Saville-designed Burberry logo.
In the fold: Prada’s men’s and women’s invitations came housed in thick corrugated cardboard cartons. Inside, an extendable cardboard sheet was folded like a narrow concertina into the rectangular box, its glossy coating tessellated with the show’s event details.
Dab hands: Craft-based creativity inspired a host of womenswear invitations. Marni’s metal interpretation came complete with a half painted column in bold blue, Issey Miyake’s fold out poster invitation was populated with colourful brushstrokes, while Chalayan’s came with a bold splash of spray-paint. Pierre Hardy and Arthur Arbesser were both fascinated by colourful sculptures, with Arbesser even leaving small ceramics inspired by Italian sculptor Fausto Melotti on guest’s seats.
Antique chic: There was a vintage verve across both S/S 2019’s men’s and women’s invitations, with brand’s drawing on images and symbols that had an age-old allure. Just look to MM6’s delicate lace doily offering, or Erdem’s invitation, which featured a photograph of two sisters, Stella and Fanny, the two famed Victorian men who dressed as women and inspired the brand’s collection. Plus Off-White men’s invitation, a transparent plastic envelope printed with a gentlemanly oil-painted portrait.
Page-turner: Hedi Slimane’s anticipated debut show for Celine was titled ‘Paris La Nuit’, and the outré and micro-short silhouettes in the collection evoked ensembles for after-hours decadence. Slimane’s inaugural invitation for the house also captured this lights-out aesthetic. It was imagined as a hardback book, featuring photographs of ten Parisian going-out hotspots, like Bus Palladium, La Cigale and Folies Pigalle, lensed by Slimane himself.
