In the afterglow of fashion month, we’re illuminating the best set designs that debuted fall/winter 2024 collections by Saint Laurent, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Chanel, and more.
Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello Explored Visibility
Production: Bureau Betak
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Anthony Vaccarello explored visibility for the winter 2024 show, where disks of light from above reflected against a shimmering onyx floor that conjured the streets of Paris on a rainy evening. The visionary production designers at Bureau Betak created two seamlessly connecting circular rooms where emerald-colored velvet damask swathed the walls from floor to ceiling. As the light sculptures above grew brighter, models appeared donning provocative layers of diaphonous garments, and the luminous power in life’s most fragile moments was revealed. As if settled in an otherworldly, 1970s boudoir, guests melted into sweeping black sofas and peered into glamorous moments reminiscent of bygone stage and film stars getting ready in the green room. Stacked stage lights at the far end of the curvaceous runway illuminated the transparency of the collection, inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s infamous naked gown.
Dior Partnered with Indian Artist Shakuntala Kulkarni
Production: Bureau Betak
© Adrien Dirand © Artist: Shakuntala Kulkarni, courtesy of Dior.
Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri collaborated with Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni, presenting a powerful installation of armored figurative sculptures made from cane. Within the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, the Mumbai-based artist juxtaposed the jewel-like creations with riveting stills of female warriors derived from her film “Juloos.” In partnership with Bureau Betak, the gilded yet earthy set design was collaged with a 1960s freedom of spirit, when Dior helped pioneer the influx of ready-to-wear clothing. A palette of black, white, and gold reflected the work of Kulkarni: full of strength, versatility, and innovation.
Nicolas Ghesquière Celebrated His Tenth Anniversary with Louis Vuitton
Production: La Mode en Images
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
For his tenth anniversary with Louis Vuitton, Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière worked with artist Philippe Parreno and film production designer James Chinlund to conceive a futuristic spectacle. With production design by La Mode en Images, the Cour Carrée courtyard at the Louvre Museum—the site of Ghesquière’s first collection with the house—glowed with otherworldly proportion. A monumental sphere embellished with endless facets of geometric glass and bulbs was suspended above the runway, with wires pouring out from its sides and wrapped around nearby columns. Attendees were immersed in the otherwise dark space brimming with robust scaffolding, and the pearly catwalk led to the maison’s enlightened, new tomorrow. A transcendental feeling washed over the crowd and viewers were reeled into the experience, basking in the glow of the great white sphere that visually danced with light above. From the start, it was apparent that the environment for Ghesquière was intentional, that he designed the flow of the show as a retrospect meets real-life debut—an amalgamation of his time at the house, pulling from reflections and references over the past decade.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Video Installations by Artist Cécile B. Evans Framed a Soulful Miu Miu Space
Production: Villa Eugenie
Courtesy of Miu Miu.
Within a luminous Miu Miu show space, a parade of video installations by Belgian-American artist Cécile B. Evans enveloped guests in humanistic progress and words of soulful sentiment. Titled “Individual Moments,” the cathartic fall/winter 2024 presentation was born from the vision of designer and founder Miuccia Prada. A moody amber landscape by Villa Eugenie shimmered with light and architectural movement, lifting sensorial memories of the past, collaging them with dramatic interludes of the present, for a crowning spectacle of life draped in the vivacity of Miu Miu. The expressive space invoked both the innocent flairs of childhood and the sumptuous fluency of adulthood, shaping a richly visceral atmosphere with emotion and sophistication. The house left all guests with this wrinkle in time: “Maybe you’ll forget these words, but the water—the electricity between us: the imprint of what it felt like to be loved will never leave you.”
Chanel Creative Director Virginie Viard Paid Homage to Deauville
Courtesy of Chanel.
Creative Director Virginie Viard paid homage to the coastal city of Deauville, where it all began for Gabrielle Chanel with her hat shop in 1912. Models strutted down a shadowy wooden boardwalk beneath momentous screens playing a film of pastel-hued beachside scenes by Inez and Vinood which snaked around the room. Energized by Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman (1966), romantic, black and white images unveiled Penéope Cruz and Brad Pitt playing classic film stars to the delight of the show’s guests. From views of a pier meeting the ocean, to sunset shots of models walking by the water, the set was awash in gorgeous hues, matching the tone of garments on the runway. At first glance, this seaside view was majestic and somewhat mysterious, but with a close eye, those loyal to Chanel could trace it back to the brand’s DNA. After all, it was a replica of the destination Deauville, a city part of the heartbeat of the maison.
Loewe Brings to Life the Works of Albert York
Production: La Mode en Images
Courtesy of Loewe.
Creative Director Jonathan Anderson looked to the idyllic landscapes and floral still lifes of American artist Albert York for Loewe’s fall/winter 2024 collection. At the Château de Vincennes, Anderson explored provenance and the pastoral in collaboration with La Mode en Images, unfolding in a labyrinth painted three vivacious shades of green. The glitterati gathered for a minimalist journey through rolling hills and the first buds of spring, embraced by 14 of York’s paintings hanging on the verdant walls. “I think we live in a paradise. This is a Garden of Eden. Really. It is. It might be the only paradise we’ll ever know. And it’s just so beautiful. And you feel you want to paint it,” said York (1928-2009). We saw that inspiration of Eden and landscape treasures translated into a rich palette of greens, browns, blacks, and blues. Through the arched entryways of the maze-like setting, there was a sense of that earthly perfection of which York referred to, so beautifully translated into the wearable form by Anderson.
Courtesy of Loewe.
Courtesy of Loewe.
The Courrèges FW24 Collection Soared
Production: La Mode en Images
Rhythmic breathing filled the room as models silently circled the sensual, Lycra-covered catwalk unveiled by Courrèges Creative Director Nicolas Di Felice and artist Rémy Brière. With production by La Mode en Images, the FW24 collection ebbed and flowed poetically along the pristine white runway. A regal and cavernous ceiling of glass and steel overhead sparked a dialogue on the acts of dressing and disrobing somewhere between heaven and earth. The infinite potential of primary shapes was echoed from floor to ceiling and throughout the collection, becoming one with the body. A heartbeat pulsed and filled the space with echoing thuds for the show, and a tactile study of symmetry and sensuality ascended toward a climax.
The Hermès Show was Creatively Embellished by Cinematic Set Design
Production: Villa Eugenie
Courtesy of Hermès.
As a column of heavy rain descended upon the starlit evening runway, Hermès‘s newest collection was showcased in shivering, cinematic style. Titled “The Rider,” Creative Director Nadège Vanhee’s latest show was creatively embellished by Villa Eugenie’s moody and lit-from-within set design, illuminating the power of Mother Nature’s fantastical whims. An atmosphere tough, chic, and tender rang through the celestial portal studded with a succession of glowing lights. It elegantly reminded us to race outside into the open night fearless and expectant, the first chance we get, and to stay eternally open to the glorious, mysterious journey ahead.
Balenciaga’s Winter 2024 Show Unfolded at the 17th-Century Les Invalides
Production: La Mode en Images
Courtesy of Balenciaga.
The majestic 17th-century Les Invalides complex proved to be a rapturous locale for the Balenciaga winter 2024 runway show, where screens displayed the perfection of Mother Nature fused with technological prowess. The brand, with production by La Mode en Images, placed the visionary imagination front and center, where kaleidoscopic images of cities, social media fragments, and rugged natural landscapes collided. The space’s ambience was surreal, synthesized, and sculptural, guests couldn’t quite tell if a work of monumental and experimental artwork was evolving before their very eyes. All was deconstructed, nothing was as it seemed. Futuristic visuals of Paris with the bustle of daily traffic, and landmarks set against a prismatic blue sky, were juxtaposed with vast and hovering mountain ranges for a riveting investigation of our complex, contemporary reality.
Courtesy of Balenciaga.
Courtesy of Balenciaga.
Courtesy of Balenciaga.
Bottega Veneta Created an Experiential Set in Milan
Production: Bureau Betak
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
Within an experiential set designed by Creative Director Matthieu Blazy and Bureau Betak, a burnt orange evening glow was cast upon models swathed in the vivid new Bottega Veneta collection, surrounded by shimmering glass cacti with budding flowers. Ever-inspired Blazy looked to the burnished landscape of southern Italy for eternal optimism and growth. Fine artisanal glass craftsmanship of Murano was collaged with show seating created by Cassina and bespoke Le Corbusier LC14 Cabanon stools; the imaginative pieces enhanced with a seared wood finish were the result of time-honored Japanese technique and will go on to be featured at Milan Design Week. “The floor is fired, the box stool fired, the Murano glass cactus is fired,” explained Blazy. “Each shows a unique identity through technique. Nothing repeats – like the Intrecciato. The elegance is in the simplicity, honesty and resilience.” Urgent attention was called to the incendiary state of our world with a shadowy succession of elements eliciting joy, principle, and prayer, expressing the fragility and extraordinary nuances of humanity.
Lacoste Unveiled a Presentation Celebrating Sport, Fashion, and Art
Production: La Mode en Images
Courtesy of Lacoste.
Creative Director Pelagia Kolotouros invoked the spirited 1920s in France, and René Lacoste’s noble position as the world’s number one ranked tennis player, for a graphic set design celebrating sport, fashion, and art. The production by La Mode en Images inside the central court of Roland-Garros stadium played out on a revisioned clay tennis court showcasing varying heights and adorned with symmetrical white lines and circles. VIP guests were poised with rapturous attention in stadium style seats for the iconic presentation. The set’s spirit was one of renewed energy, imbuing the modern show with bright memories of the Frenchman’s legendary Davis Cup win in 1927, which made way for the creation of the Roland-Garros site, and eventually the French Open. This vibrancy of sporting events and competitions, where fashion and community also reside in great strength, culminated in a pioneering Lacoste journey through the grandeur of the 1920s and 30s, straight through to the everyday athletic sensibility of today.
Courtesy of Lacoste.
