The arrival of November marks an important moment in fashion. This is the month when the Cruise collections begin hitting the stores.
So expect a slew of fresh designs from the biggest fashion houses, of which were unveiled earlier this year on the runways.
Cruise, otherwise also known as Resort, Holiday or Pre-Spring, is the collection that drops after Autumn/Winter clothes have gone on sale – but before the arrival of Spring/Summer designs.
While it is less significant in Malaysia – where we enjoy a warm climate all year round, Cruise offerings are a big deal in the US and Europe.
This is especially true for wealthy shoppers who tend to escape to sunnier countries during the winter months and need something other than thick outerwear.
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The clothes are thus made to be light and comfortable, the sort of things you would wear while on vacation rather than being stuck in dreary, cold weather.
Big names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Dior will usually hold their Cruise shows in exotic locations to fit the travel theme. If not that, the inspirations tend to come from some of the most far-flung destinations.
Look out for bright colours, novelty prints and easy-to-wear essentials when it comes to the Cruise collections.
Destination dressing
Chanel presented its Cruise collection in Monaco. The fashion house turned the seaside and pier of the iconic Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel into a glorious runway.
Guests were seen relaxing on white sun loungers and in chic cabanas.
Some of the biggest names attended this spectacular show. From Princess Caroline of Monaco, to actresses Vanessa Paradis and Kristen Stewart, the world’s celebrities sat front row.
As for the clothes, they paid tribute to one of Monaco’s biggest events: the Formula 1 racing circuit.
There were racing driver’s all-in-ones and mechanic’s overalls, but, of course, bedazzled to the high-nines. Think sequins, but paired with motor racing elements like starter flag prints.
There was even a bag in the shape of a mini full-face helmet!
But Monaco has another significance for Chanel. The late Karl Lagerfeld – who helmed the fashion house for 36 years before his death in 2019 – had an apartment in Monte Carlo.
The current artistic director, Virginie Viard, drew from the many happy moments spent with Lagerfeld there.
She told Vogue that it was all the collective memories linked to Monaco that influenced her designs.
“It’s very inspiring to be here,” Viard said, after which she signalled at the relaxed nature of her creations. “It’s easy.”
Strong and sensual
There were also two flamenco stars performing on stage, plus an additional 40 dancers. It was a show indeed.
“The icon of this line is La Capitana, the name given to Carmen Amaya who embodies the very essence of flamenco,” read the description on Dior’s website.
Amaya is regarded as “the world’s greatest flamenco dancer”. The late star became famous as the first woman to master complicated footwork that had previously only been achieved by men.
“With her freedom to dance that did not submit to any rule, she represented the essence of flamenco,” explained the press statement from Dior.
The label also called Amaya “the soul of Spain”.
Like flamenco, which is known to be an extremely sensual dance, the clothes mirror the same vivacious energy and passion.
Naturally, there were flamenco dresses. Yet, more than that, a range of masculine tailored looks were shown.
The bolero jackets, matador-style trousers and woven cape set the scene perfectly.
Dior’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, also used the collection to celebrate the work of local artisans. She reportedly spent months in Spain sourcing and collaborating with embroiderers, hat-makers and leather craftsmen.
The long view
This location is known for its bare, rigid aesthetic – raw, concrete structures creating a monolithic feel.
“The Salk Institute has been a place of wonder for me over the years and Louis Kahn’s stunning brutalist architecture against this extraordinary setting of the Pacific Ocean and the California sunset provides me with endless inspiration,” Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director of Louis Vuitton, told Dezeen.
Models were seen emerging into an expansive courtyard. As they walked in view of the horizon, they offered a sort of a juxtaposition between hard and soft.
The designs had a post-apocalyptic feel to them.
Fabrics such as as linen and silk were used, but the silhouettes did not seem at all traditional.
Metallics featured extensively too. A nod to the sci-fi theme.
The clifftop view of the sunset from the Salk Institute was significant in the collection’s story.
“The sun is the guest of honour in the Cruise collection,” read the Louis Vuitton show notes.
“It plays an active part in the evolution of this wardrobe where changes in temperature set a stylistic tempo.”
Look to the stars
Gucci also chose to contrast its Cruise designs against something of immense architectural significance. The runway was located at Castel Del Monte in the Puglia region of southeast Italy.
This 13th-century citadel – towering in the middle of a flat countryside – set the tone for a magnificent show.
If that wasn’t enough, it took place a day after a lunar eclipse occured.
Yet, the collection is based on constellations.
Titled “Cosmogonie” – French for cosmogeny, the branch of astrophysics that studies the origin, evolution and structure of the universe, the garments came with details referencing the stars and magical myths.
A sparkly dress worn with a faux fur jacket opened the show. Other designs came with rhinestone embellishments to mimic a starry sky.
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There were also shimmery capes and sequined dresses to fit the theme.
Michele named German philosopher Walter Benjamin as his inspiration in the show notes.
“Such an extraordinary ability to illuminate connections, which would otherwise be invisible, makes Benjamin the paradigmatic figure of those thinking in constellations,” he wrote.
“What can seem, at first sight, atomised and dispersed, like the stars in the sky, through Benjamin’s eyes becomes an assembly of complicity: a connective structure that lights up the darkness through the epiphany of a constellation.”
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