Special delivery: the finest show invitations from the S/S 2015 menswear season

Saint Laurent black book
Saint Laurent: Hedi Slimane extended his rock repertoire to psychedelia this season, sending out a black book of etchings by San Francisco artist Bruce Conner and using ponchos, fringe and Sergeant Pepper velvet in his S/S show
(Image credit: Jessica Klingelfuss)
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Dior Homme's illustrative poster and card designs

Dior Homme: M/M (Paris) splattered paint across images of rose petals for Dior Homme's illustrative poster and card designs

(Image credit: Dior Homme)

elegant ecru envelope and paper 'R'

Dries Van Noten: An elegant ecru envelope arrived finished with a stamped wax seal. Inside, transparent tracing paper held a regal, dye-cut paper 'R' – an elaborate reference to the collection’s ties to Soviet-born ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev and the rhythmic illustrations of Richard Haines

(Image credit: Dries Van Noten)

laser-cut gatefold card

Canali: The house marked the arrival of new creative consultant Andrea Pompilio by sending out an elegant grey invitation to the show, accompanied by a laser-cut gatefold card to the celebratory post show party

(Image credit: Canali)

black-and-white illustration of Mariacarla Boscono

Givenchy: The maison tapped graphic duo M/M (Paris) once again for the latest in its series of artful invitations – limited edition posters printed on ivory stock paper with a die-cut corner. This season’s black-and-white illustration featured Riccardo Tisci’s longtime model muse Mariacarla Boscono

(Image credit: Givenchy)

Prada’s glossy, ivory acetate invitation

Prada: Dutifully elegant and sophisticated, Prada’s glossy, ivory acetate invitation was housed in a neoprene slipcase

(Image credit: Prada)

hand-written invitation

Hermès: The French house sent out a hand-written invitation, perhaps scribed with its new Marc Newson-designed pen?

(Image credit: Hermès)

gun-metal grey rectangular leather invitation

Rick Owens: Opting for a rectangular leather invitation once again, the Paris-based designer embossed his show details onto the cowhide’s gun-metal grey finish

(Image credit: Rick Owens)

silky, pearlescent teal offering, edged in Brioni’s signature red

Brioni: The Italian house marked S/S 2015 with a silky, pearlescent teal offering, edged in Brioni’s signature red

(Image credit: Brioni)

card

Ermenegildo Zegna Couture: Stefano Pilati revealed his inspiration for 2015 on a robust concertina card that spoke of a reverence for functional architecture, echoed in the deconstructed, yet sophisticated shapes

(Image credit: Ermenegildo Zegna Couture)

oversized key ring threaded with kitsch Eiffel Tower souvenirs

Kenzo: Humberto Leon and Carol Lim eschewed paper invitations, instead opting for an oversized key ring threaded with kitsch Eiffel Tower souvenirs - an apt precursor to a collection that offered a love letter to Paris

(Image credit: Kenzo)

photograph of a busy moment over Milano Centrale station, with the striking Pirelli building in the background

Andrea Pompilio: The designer printed his details on a heavy card, featuring a photograph of a busy moment over Milano Centrale station, with the striking Pirelli building in the background

(Image credit: Andrea Pompilio)

Marni’s horizontal card

Marni: The primary colour blocking that marched across Marni’s horizontal card was echoed in the prints and palettes on the runway

(Image credit: Marni)

brushstroke zig-zagged across a linen card

Dsquared2: Dan and Dean Caten announced their pop-tastic presentation with a vivid Lichtenstein brushstroke that zig-zagged across a linen card

(Image credit: Dsquared2)

lime-coloured font on the invitation

Jil Sander: We knew the Jil Sander man would be citrus this season, thanks to the lime-coloured font on the invitation

(Image credit: Jil Sander)

lemon yellow card

Cerruti 1881 Paris: Another radiant, lemon yellow card this time alluded to California’s sunny shores, where creative director Aldo Maria Camillo drew inspiration this season. The reverse revealed the show’s details in a neat gold foil

(Image credit: Cerruti 1881 Paris)

white-on-white card

Neil Barrett: The only twist in Neil Barrett’s white-on-white call to arms was an exaggerated stretch in the debossed typeface

(Image credit: Neil Barrett)

embossed white card

Loewe: The maison’s embossed white card was dominated by Loewe’s recently redesigned logo by graphic duo M/M (Paris) in a typeface inspired by German-born typographer and calligrapher Berthold Wolpe. The reverse of the invitation was cleanly printed in textural black foil

(Image credit: Loewe)

pebble-punched navy card

Tod's: This pebble-punched navy card foretold the rejuvenation of the iconic Gommino moccasin, soon to be reborn for S/S 2015

(Image credit: Tod's)

linen card

Gucci: Frida Giannini is no stranger to white, so it made sense that her linen card would reflect the uniform-sharp white jackets on the catwalk. It came accented with metallic type in the shade of brass buttons and finished with just a touch of gloss on the reverse

(Image credit: Gucci)

metallic box-in-a-box resembling a gold bar

Versace: Show details were printed on a metallic box-in-a-box resembling a gold bar, which seemed ever appropriate for Versace - even if this collection was designed in homage to Cuba

(Image credit: Versace)

golden fiberglass effect

Jonathan Saunders: The London label's textured triplex card featured bronze foil lettering on one side, and a golden fiberglass effect on the other

(Image credit: Jonathan Saunders)

simple, sand-coloured card with a slightly debossed gold signature

Salvatore Ferragamo: A simple, sand-coloured card with a slightly debossed gold signature was all Salvatore Ferragamo required to announce a collection awash in dusty hues

(Image credit: Salvatore Ferragamo)

A die-cut, black outer pocket was laser-cut with a hollow hexagon shape that was also sliced into the invitation’s stark white interior card

Kent & Curwen: A die-cut, black outer pocket was laser-cut with a hollow hexagon shape that was also sliced into the invitation’s stark white interior card. The graphic juxtaposition foretold the strong lines that abounded on the runway, including the card’s blunt V-insert that was woven into a neat jumper

(Image credit: Kent & Curwen)

white card

Bally: An understated white card with a distinctive corner tab was edged in the same tasteful claret as the Bally logo

(Image credit: Bally)

potted plant label and a holographic envelope

Paul Smith: The British designer hinted at a flora-inspired collection with a potted plant label that came in a holographic envelope. Indeed, the colourful show was hallmarked by its bustling pattern clashes of tropical prints, paisley, check and zigzag chevrons

(Image credit: Paul Smith)

UV varnished photograph of an infantile fern

Dunhill: Escaping the city limits, the house's digitally printed card featured a UV varnished photograph of an infantile fern, hinting at creative director John Ray's first foray into botanical prints for Dunhil

(Image credit: Dunhill)

Giorgio Armani's tan-leather folder

Giorgio Armani: Any larger and Giorgio Armani's tan-leather folder, housing a pale-mushroom card tucked inside, could have been used as a portfolio

(Image credit: Giorgio Armani)

soft leather sleeve

Emporio Armani: Mr Armani struck again, sending out a soft leather sleeve that could also double as a summer-season case. Happily, it was about the size of an iPad Mini

(Image credit: Emporio Armani)

striped card

Trussardi: The house's S/S collection of zoot suits and utility wear was striped every which way. The stripes also made their way onto the cool grey linen card, subtly tapering at different points

(Image credit: Trussardi)

Antonio Marras card

Antonio Marras: Football? What football? Antonio Marras reminded us of the party going on in Brazil with a sepia-filtered broadsheet bound to a blown-up trading card

(Image credit: Antonio Marras)

'Bite Me' card

Philipp Plein: 'Bite Me' invited the hungry shark on the card belonging to Philipp Plein, a designer not known for his restraint

(Image credit: Philipp Plein)

phone case

Philipp Plein and Ports 1961: Brands continued to appeal to a smartphone-savvy fashion crowd. In addition to Philipp Plein’s shark invitation, the brand sent out a custom red-rubber iPhone case with a Jagger pout declaring ‘J’Adore Plein!’. As well as its runway show, Ports 1961 hosted ‘Altered Images’, a travelling exhibition by American photographer Christopher Makos, offering a souvenir from the show that came printed with a portrait of artist Andy Warhol (a close friend of Makos) in drag

(Image credit: Philipp Plein and Ports 1961)

text-heavy card

Junya Watanabe: This text-heavy card featured a traditional Japanese tree illustration that was mostly concealed by bold typography – tapping into the show’s theme, which explored a modern twist on Japanese folklore

(Image credit: Junya Watanabe)

multi-bordered, patterned card

MSGM: An afternoon with Massimo Giorgetti's MSGM was never going to be an understated affair, and the multi-bordered, patterned card certainly brought that home

(Image credit: MSGM)
Ellen Himelfarb

Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.

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