Although the fashion industry has wholeheartedly embraced the convenience of emailing show invitations and using the new Fashion GPS platform to handle R.S.V.P.s and check-in, there are still designers who rely on mailed items to convey their brand and the style of their upcoming show. Today, as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week embarks on another season—its second at Lincoln Center—here's a look at some invitations that not only stood out in the mail room, but also expressed, visually, the inspirations and styles of their respective designers.
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In line with Riviera Club’s “California wine renaissance” inspiration, menswear designers Derek Buse, Joe Sadler, and Greg Ullery collaborated with the Santa Barbara’s Curtis Winery to produce 75 bottles of a 2008 Rhone Blend red wine. Select editors and guests received the limited-edition bottles, as well as details of the presentation’s date, time, and location printed on a note fashioned after a taxi receipt.
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Betsey Johnson’s Valentine’s Day show is a play on the childhood game “he loves me, he loves me not.” To spotlight the phrase in an invitation, the quirky designer created oversize playing cards embedded with moving holographic images.
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For a bit of whimsy, Andrew Buckler sent editors oversize buttons to serve as show invitations, with all pertinent details laminated onto the face of the accessory. To cope with the challenge of a change in presentation date after the buttons were already made, a simple sticker was placed over the old date.
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To mark the 50th anniversary of Barbie’s boyfriend, Mattel tapped six American menswear designers to create special outfits, which will be unveiled during Fashion Week. For guests attending the event at Christie’s auction house, the invitation was a Ken doll mask.
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A play on the traditional badge-and-lanyard pass, the invite for sportswear brand Number:Lab is an item guests can conveniently wear around their necks for easy identification.
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To highlight a collection designed to be worn in the city and on the slopes, Moncler Grenoble will host its presentation at Grand Central Terminal. And in a nod to the storied location, the event’s invitation comprises a mock train ticket with the date and time of the show punched out.
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While some designers seek to make a first impression with elaborate invitations, Jeremy Scott took a different approach. To reflect his street style and love of color, the designer sent out bright pink paper flyers.
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Influenced by Ali MacGraw in Love Story, Porter Grey is designed by sisters Kristen and Alexandra O’Neill and makes its first appearance at the tents this season. To convey its preppy style, the brand used printed Currier & Ives postcards as the invitations for its show.
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Although his brand is still relatively young, Alexander Wang projects an adult, professional tone that has earned him a strong reputation among editors and buyers. To complement his aesthetic, the designer’s show invitation consists of simple, clean, and stark thick white card stock with complementary white lettering. In contrast, a second invitation, for the opening of Wang’s new SoHo store, is all black.
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The oversize invitation for the Gant by Michael Bastian show may look simple, but the graphics and short story gives editors a glimpse into the inspiration behind the fall collection.
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