Throughout history, fashion show locations have provided the backdrop to historic collections. Take, for example, Paris’ Grand Palais, which is steeped in the history of Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel shows, and has become a fixture of the house for years even following his death, or the Musée Du Louvre, one of Nicholas Ghesquiere’s most beloved locations to show his Louis Vuitton collections season after season. Since the Battle of Versailles, show locations have set the tone for designers to communicate their vision, whether they're creating history in the lavender fields of Provence or the Great Wall of China. Ahead, we're rounding up the most iconic fashion show locations.
1. Grand Palais, Paris
Chanel Spring/Summer 2019
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Chanel
Beginning in 2006, part of Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy was his choice to hold almost every Chanel show in Paris’ iconic grand Palais, building elaborate sets like rocket ships, the Eiffel Tower, a supermarket, a beach, and Parisian rooftops under the storied glass ceiling. For Matthieu Blazy’s Debut Chanel Spring/Summer 2026 show, the new artistic director created a planetary universe within the same walls, continuing the house’s long-standing legacy with the Grand Palais.
2. New York Stock Exchange, New York
Balenciaga Resort 2023
Balenciaga
Balenciaga Resort 2023
For Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection, Demna took over the New York Stock exchange in Wall Street, where floor traders were replaced by the likes of a celebrity front row including Pharrell and Chloe Sevigny, and Demna’s model regulars, who wore gimp masks and Balenciaga X Adidas tracksuits.
3. Musée Du Louvre, Paris
Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2026
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Louis Vuitton
Paris’ Musée Du Louvre (specifically the Cour Carrée) has been Nicolas Ghesquière’s show destination of choice for Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections since his debut in 2014. Rarely missing a season inside the Louvre’s storied halls, Ghesquière’s future-forward collections have always blended historic silhouettes with sci-fi sensibilities, which act as the perfect contrast in the opulent space.
4. Versailles, Paris
Jacquemus Fall/Winter 2023
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Jacquemus Fall/Winter 2023
Versailles has had a connection to fashion since the battle of Versailles in 1973. For his Fall/Winter 2023 collection, titled “Le ChouChou,” Simon Porte Jacquemus hosted a show in the gardens of Versailles, right near a pond in which guests—including Victoria and David Beckham and Emily Ratajkowski—floated in boats to witness the collection, which took inspiration from the crinolines and pannier silhouettes from the Rococo era.
5. Spanish Steps, Rome
Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022
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Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022
Pierpaolo Piccioli has always known how to put on a beautiful show, and for the Valentino Fall/Winter 2022 Haute Couture collection, that’s exactly what he did at the Roman house’s birthplace on the Spanish Steps. Titled “The Beginning,” the show featured a series of meticulously crafted couture looks of incredible proportions and volumes, complete with a performance by Labrinth, a finale walk with Piccioli’s entire atelier and design team, and attendance from the likes of Anne Hathaway and Valentino Garavani himself.
6. Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2026
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Rick Owens
While the Palais de Tokyo has played host to various luxury houses over the years, perhaps the most commonly returning name is Rick Owens, who hosts his shows in the forecourt of the iconic contemporary art gallery. Each season, guests like Owens’ wife and muse Michelle Lamy, Cardi B, and more gather in the forecourt amongst plumes of dry ice and concrete to witness his modern gothic designs.
7. Alycamps Roman Burial Ground, Arles
Gucci Resort 2019
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Gucci Resort 2019
Entitled “Rave in a Cemetery," Alessadro Michele’s Gucci Resort 2019 collection took place in Arles, France, where the Gucci team flew in 400 guests to witness the collection at night in this historic burial ground. Having been to the site, I can’t imagine what it would have been like filled with Gucci models in couture-like pieces. Let me paint the picture anyway: lines of flames lit the runway as models walked in ‘70s flared pantsuits, tartan skirts, opulent quilted coats, and silk gowns navigating the runway and burial ground.
8. Provence, France
Jacquemus Spring/Summer 2020
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Jacquemus, Spring/Summer 2020
For Simon Porte Jacquemus’ 10th anniversary collection, and one of his first viral show locations (the designer has now become known for hosting shows in various locations across France), his Spring/Summer 2020 collection, titled “Coup de Soleil,” took place in Valensole, Provence, in a blooming lavender field on a sprawling hot pink carpet. The collection, airy and bright with plenty of Jacquemus’ classic resort design cues, was led by Jacquemus’ long-term androgyne muse Mica Argañaraz, and was his second co-ed collection.
9. Great Wall of China, China
Fendi Spring/Summer 2008
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Fendi Spring/Summer 2008
For Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi’s Fendi Spring/Summer 2008 collection, the brand took a trip to China to stage a runway show on one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China, where 88 models walked along the wall at sunset. The choice to show the collection in China was not only a dramatic one from a setting perspective, but a strategic move for Fendi as they expanded their presence in the Chinese market.
10. Bryant Park, New York
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New York Fashion Week
In 1991, Michael Kors staged his Fall/Winter 1992 show in a midtown loft space, where the bass for the show music was so loud, it caused rubble to fall from the ceiling. It then partially caved in, raining cement onto the models and editors who had gathered to see the show. This story is reportedly part of the reason the white tents at Bryant Park existed from 1993-2010—New York Fashion Week’s official location, all in the one place, to maintain an organized schedule and reduce the risk of perishing under a pile of rubble in midtown at a fashion show. Though not a location tied to any one brand, plenty of New York greats have passed through the white tents with their collections over the years.
11. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2022
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Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2022
Against the backdrop of the breathtaking and surreal Pyramids of Giza, Kim Jones, the then-creative director of Dior menswear staged his Fall/Winter 2022 show in front of the historic landmarks, which were illuminated behind rows of models dressed in desert-like shades. Robert Pattinson, Naomi Campbell, Lewis Hamilton, Suki Waterhouse—Dior Homme regulars—were all in attendance to witness the monumental show.
