The best sets of the Fall/Winter 23 season

For FW23, brands have taken their ecological conscience into their own hands and decided to exhibit 'at home' rather than embark on harmful and wasteful trips outside Milan or Paris. In the absence of tropical or exotic backdrops (remember when Jacquemus chose Hawaii and Vaccarello placed a giant ball of flames in the Egyptian desert'), the attention for the details reached a new level of sophistication and often left us open-mouthed. From Gucci's lush green velvet to Loewe's pressed confetti cubes, here are the best backdrops from this Fashion Week.

A biblical tundra for Acne Studios

Bathed in darkness, the set of the Acne Studios fashion show was transformed into a Garden of Eden with dark undertones by creative and multidisciplinary British set designer Shona Heath. «I asked Shona to create a magical place that creatively captures the topography of a dark forest. I love the way forests are always changing, growing and transforming» said creative director Jonny Johansson, who explored the theme of progressive alienation between humans and nature for the brand's new collection. Of her creation, Shona Heath said, «A fantastic fauna, sharp and raw, grows and writhes in oblivion. Aggressive tendrils make their way upwards, searching for something to cling to. It's a strange, shimmering world where the darkness envelops us and gives us comfort, as does the grandeur that makes us feel small and protected by this wonderful, quiet land.»

Balenciaga's aseptic space

For her Paris debut after harsh criticism last November, Demna decided to forgo the mega-set method. After the "mud show" opened by Kanye West, the new collection was presented in a minimal auditorium wrapped in a blank canvas, not far from the basement where the Georgian designer exhibited his Vetements gowns in the mid-2000s. With no celebrities in the front row, the audience consisted of 700 industry insiders in a specially designed setting. Built as a landmark for the entire Paris scene for the fashion shows of the 1990s, the Carrousel du Louvre was Balenciaga's designated venue for the arduous task of keeping his huge, critically undermined business going.

The Italian flair of Bottega Veneta

In front of the Herculaneum Runners, a Roman copy of a pair of Greek statues from the 1st century BC found during the excavations of the Papyrus Villa of Herculaneum (now in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples), and the futuristic sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by Umberto Boccioni from 1913, Matthey Blazy presented a show of sartorial and formal perfection. In what is now his third fashion show as creative director of the historic Vicenza-based brand, the designer began with a celebration of the Italian spirit and craftsmanship that have made the bel paese famous around the world. The Boccioni statue and Roman bronzes borrowed from museums for the catwalk were "part of the show", Blazy explained: «The idea was to reconnect Italy through its history. The debate we are having with the team is about the idea of good nationalism, about the fact that you can reclaim your history in a very positive way.»

Loewe, medieval castles and contemporary installations

Loewe's FW23 was a continuation of a process of simplification in which Jonathan Anderson moved away from the gimmicks that had made him famous as creative director of his eponymous brand and became more concerned with the workmanship of the garments than their presentation. A variety of Trompe d'oeil motifs (leather that looks like fabric, fabric that looks like leather, foils that look like silk, etc.) were housed in a neutral cube in the entrance courtyard of the Chateau de Vincenne, 10 km from the center of Paris, a place steeped in history (built in the Middle Ages, from where King Louis set out on the Crusades and where Mata Hari was executed) that became a spectacular blank canvas for the fashion show. A neutral structure decorated with 21 brightly colored cubes of 10 tonnes of pressed confetti by Italian artist Lara Favaretto, world famous for her pop installations.

The dreamlike world of Dior

«I think of three women who played an important role in Dior's life and in French culture: Catherine Dior, the sister who played a fundamental role in her brother's education and creativity; Juliette Greco, Dior's friend and customer associated with French existentialism; and Édith Piaf, who needs no introduction, with her life, her story, her voice, her art: the most popular image of French culture» Maria Grazia Chiuri explains the inspiration for her new collection for the French fashion house. The set of the fashion show, built by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos as a new Tarot garden compared to the one built by Niki de Saint Phalle in Capalbio, reproduced a dreamlike world where huge circular installations covered in colored beads were superimposed on a cobalt background.

The glamour of the 70s at Gucci

Gucci welcomed guests at its headquarters, the Gucci Hub, which was transformed for the occasion into a catwalk inspired by 1970s New York penthouse lounges. A series of green velvet conversation pits welcomed guests and brand ambassadors (including Maneskin, Asap Rocky, and Florence Welch), while models entered and exited lifts as if in a distant Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton setting in the Cour Carré du Louvre.

Lunar spaces for Off-White™

The entrance of the Tennis Club de Paris was transformed into a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape for the Off-White™ fashion show under the creative direction of Ib Kamara. On set, the models, including Naomi Campbell, emerged from a kind of sunlit moonscape of reddish sand and rocks. The centerpiece of the fashion show was a giant mirror ball whose fisheye reflection allowed visitors to view the garments from different angles.