The “secret” locations for the upcoming fashion shows of 2019 are finally revealed
Text by: Charlotte Garlaschelli
The fabulous venues for the upcoming 2019 shows were finally announced. Context is indeed very important in a fashion show, and the trend to highlight culturally and architecturally relevant places has already been followed by fashion houses for years. That is why revelations for upcoming shows become an excuse to research and set élite meetings in the spirit of the early Twentieth century, fostering a tourism for insiders, discovering places that would later become meeting and pleasure points. The places are indeed framed by majestic architectural structures or rich in continental tradition. Gucci announced that its upcoming 2019 fashion show, scheduled for May 30, will be held in Arles, at the Alyscamps necropolises. The space is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was immortalised by the art of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.
Before Alyscamps, Gucci already selected historic locations, such as the Westminster Abbey in London, the Galleria Palatina in Florence and Dia-Art Foundation in New York.
The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2019 presentation will also be held on the French Riviera. On May 28 the French Maison will stage its show at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Instead of choosing historic spots, the brand is following an architectural path, in an attempt to rediscover forms and structures of the contemporary world. Previous locations include Palm Spring at the Bob & Dolores Hope Estate, Mac Niteroi in Rio de Janeiro and at the Tokyo Miho Museum: all these buildings are references to great architects of the 20th Century.
This year the maison has chosen a masterpiece designed by Catalan architect and urban planner Josep Lluis Sert, who passed away in 1983. He wrote the book Can our cities survive? and studied museum and exhibition spaces, but also developed the principles of the Modern Movement. He followed Walter Gropius in his academic activity at Harvard and collaborated, among others, with Le Corbusier. The venue was selected by Nicolas Chesquère, artistic director of the women’s collections at Louis Vuitton, and is to be interpreted as a sign of the brand’s attentive attitude to contemporaneity and art through a rigorous study of materials and aesthetics.
On May 25, Dior will present its Cruise Collection at Grandes Écuries du Domaine de Chantilly. The Castle Stables will host the fashion show, renewing a taste of exclusive elegance combined with the aristocratic atmosphere of the castle built for Louis-Henri de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, by architect Jean Aubert in the first half of the Eighteenth century. Chanel will also stay French for its show, that will be held on May 3 at the Paris Grand Palais, whereas Prada and Max Mara will opt for New York.
