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

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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)

By Ellen Himelfarb

last updated 31 October 2022

Contributions from

Katrina Israel

in Features

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

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

**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

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

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

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

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

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

**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

**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

**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

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

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

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

**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

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

**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

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

**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

**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

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

**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

**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

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

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

**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

**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

**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

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

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

'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

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

**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

**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

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Ellen Himelfarb

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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.

With contributions from

Katrina Israel

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