Chanel in Los Angeles
Photo: Chanel
The City of Light and the City of Angels came together in perfect harmony as Virginie Viard staged her first Chanel Cruise show in Los Angeles. On a skating rink set up on a lot in the iconic Paramount Studios, she lightened up her vision of the Chanel woman and took her in a fun, new direction. The first looks said it all: cropped halter and tank tops, hot pants, spangled one-piece swimsuits—all worn with scrunched-up, Chanel-branded legwarmers and big, blown-out hair. The vibe was joyful, tinged with ’80s nostalgia. It was not so much red carpet and silver screen than it was rollerblading on Venice Beach and Jane Fonda workout videos. From there, Viard danced through the decades. The suits had a ’60s sensibility—cropped and boxy, while dresses were imbued with a ’30s kind of glamour. In her lifetime, Coco Chanel worked with the Hollywood studios and created the costumes for a handful of movies, including Gloria Swanson’s wardrobe as an opera diva in the 1931 film, Tonight Or Never. There was a bit of that era’s languor in the looks—some served straight up and some remixed for our modern times via embellished t-shirt dresses or tank tops worn with slim, feathered skirts. — Jeffrey Yan
Related article: BAZAAR Exclusive: Backstage At Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 Show
Gucci in Seoul
Photo: Gucci
Under the clear spring skies of May, Gucci took its Cruise 2024 show into South Korea’s iconic 14th century Gyeongbokgung Palace—a first for the label. The show was a marvellous fusion of South Korean traditional dress style, with a little dash of late '90s Tom Ford. The goreum, or satin bow (a key component in a classic hanbok), took centrestage in a number of outfits. Meanwhile wetsuits, the go-to uniforms of the Han River’s windsurfers, came together with Gucci’s signature tailored blazers and two-piece suits. Skateboarding gear also got a turn in the design details and accessories. With just enough whimsy to nod to Gucci’s roots, the show marked the start of a new era with Sabato De Sarno as the creative head. With his appointment, a cleaner, refreshed and sexier dialogue between the House and the world begins. We can’t wait. — Gracia Phang
Louis Vuitton in Isola Bella
Photo: Louis Vuitton
On a private island in the heart of Italy’s idyllic Lago di Maggiore, Nicolas Ghesquière set the stage for one of the dreamiest Louis Vuitton Cruise collections that he has ever created. In it he conjured a fairy tale like no other. There were beautiful sirens in scuba gear with fin-like collars and fairies in floating seafoam organza and silk. Heroes strutted in lavish courtly capes and neoprene tank suits, while heroines swanned in sequinned dresses and skirts with paillettes, akin to scales shimmering in the deep blue. The vibe was otherworldly — much like the lush tropical gardens that the Palazzo Borromeo is known for. And in true Ghesquière style, he created couture-meets-cruise in the most fluid of ways — blending his unique formula of street style with Renaissance flair. — Windy Aulia
Related article: Zendaya Just Won Paris Fashion Week In A White Gown With This Daring Zipper Detail
Dior in Mexico City
Photo: Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s destination Cruise shows for Dior have become an integral part of her mission for the House, which is to broaden its worldview beyond France and to engage in dialogue with other cultures around the globe. This time around, she brought the show to Mexico. The Dior silhouettes she has claimed as her signatures — full skirts worn with easy shirts and blouses, effortless day dresses — were enlivened by embroideries created in collaboration with local craftspeople. The spirit of Frida Kahlo loomed large over the collection. The show was staged at the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Kahlo’s alma mater and the place she met her husband and artist, Diego Rivera. Butterflies, a recurring motif in her work, populated the collection. A hard black butterfly bustier worn atop a soft white shirt evoked the plaster corsets Kahlo wore almost all her life due to her weakened spine; while the three-piece men’s suits were a nod to her subversive streak. The brand’s Toile de Jouy pattern was also rejigged to feature Mexican flora and fauna—the parrots, monkeys and bird-of-paradise blooms that often appear in her paintings. — Jeffrey Yan
Related article: Jisoo, Jenna Ortega And Bewitching Edginess At Dior Spring/Summer 2024