When asked about the motivation behind their collections, designers often give nebulous explanations like “fluidity” or “strength.” That kind of subtlety is all well and good — you don’t always want the theme to hit you over the head. But when designers can take inspiration from a specific location and create work that gets us dreaming of travel, it’s pure fashion magic. If you’re planning on doing some globe-trotting, but don’t know which direction to point your compass, take a look at these 16 fashion collections inspired by locales near and far.
From traditional Liberian dress to Parisian street style, Rio’s Carnival color palettes to classic English tartan, these worldly styles from the latest fall, haute couture and resort collections are escapist fashion at its best. If a place can give rise to a fashion collection, a fashion collection can definitely send you on your adventure. Click through to see these jet set-approved designs guaranteed to add a few points to your bucket list and inspire your next destination.
16 Fashion Collections to Inspire Your Next Destination (Hilton)
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Chanel Cruise 2017: Cuba
Karl Lagerfeld wasn't just inspired by Cuba — he took the entire Chanel Cruise 2017 collection there. Giving new meaning to the term "cruise collection," the American press covering the show arrived in Havana a mere two hours before the first U.S. cruise ship to dock there in decades. Now that Cuba is open to travel, we're dying to see the colorful Old Havana that inspired the collection's Panama hats, macrame dresses and vintage car prints.
Image: Courtesy of Chanel
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Valentino Resort 2017: Cuba
Chanel wasn't the only fashion house to take inspiration from Cuba: The Valentino Resort 2017 collection bloomed with Cuba's national flower, the white ginger lily, alongside appropriately tropical motifs and camouflage. As designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli told Vogue, "The thing we love about Cuba is the many different memories of the place—African, Spanish, ’50s America. It gave us a real freedom to mix, like a souvenir, lots of pieces together."
Image: Courtesy of Valentino
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Gucci Cruise 2017: England
From a runway show in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey soundtracked by the traditional ballad "Scarborough Fair" to tartan skirts and Union Jack sweaters, the Gucci Cruise 2017 collection was a celebration of merry old England. The island is notorious for its gray skies, so you may need one of the designer's rain bonnets or trenchcoats if you plan on taking a stroll in the classic English gardens that inspired the collection's rose-embroidered handbags.
Image: @madamefigarofr
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Elie Saab Resort 2017: Japan
Japan has long been a wellspring of fashion inspiration and the latest collection making us want to book a direct flight for Tokyo is the Elie Saab Resort 2017 offering. The feminine designs draw from the country's traditional culture with waist-cinching obi belts and kimono sleeves, while cherry blossom prints reference Japan's classic floral symbol.
Image: Courtesy of Elie Saab
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Versace Resort 2017: America
Destinations don't have to be far-flung to be inspiring, as Donatella Versace proved with her Resort 2017 collection based on the classic American road trip. The cross-country adventure embarked in New York City with city-slicking designs featuring primary colors that echoed Times Square's neon lights, got lost in the Midwest with prairie florals and patchworks, then finally arrived in Los Angeles with leather and Hollywood glitz.
Image: Courtesy of Versace
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Tracy Reese Fall 2016: Detroit
Detroit may not be as glamorous a destination as Paris or Tokyo, but one look at the Tracy Reese Fall 2016 lookbook and you may be packing your bags for the Motor City. The designer honored her hometown with a collection inspired by a 30s speakeasy with garters, slouchy pinstripe suits and crocheted lace. "It's a city that is so rich in culture," said Reese.
Image: Imaxtree
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Louis Vuitton Cruise 2017: Rio de Janeiro
Rainbow hues and Carnival-ready ruffles epitomized the Brazilian-inspired vibe of the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2017 collection, which was presented at Rio de Janeiro's Niterói Contemporary Art Museum. Athleisure styling, sporty checkers and scuba fabric gave a big nod to the city's role as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. We would have loved to wear any of these sophisticated-casual designs while cheering in the stands.
Image: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
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Tory Burch Resort 2017: Jamaica
The white sands and palm fronds of Jamaica couldn't supply a more appropriate image for a resort collection and that's just what Tory Burch had in mind for Resort 2017. Just say the word and we're ready to get our groove back in the collection's dip-dyed indigo maxis, raffia slides and shell-adorned accessories.
Image: Courtesy of Tory Burch
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Jenny Packham Resort 2017: India
For her Resort 2017 collection, Jenny Packham took fashion lovers on a trip to India with gowns fit for a monsoon wedding. The sweeping silk skirts, crystal-encrusted paisley embellishments and spicy color palette featuring ochre, aqua and pink brought to mind Bollywood royalty.
Image: Courtesy of Jenny Packham
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Banana Republic Fall 2016: France
France was the inspiration behind the Banana Republic Fall 2016 collection with looks pulled from Senior Vice President of Design Michael Anderson's research trip to Lyon, Provence and Paris to document real French street style. The result was Breton striped pullovers, trenchcoats and, of course, the ubiquitous beret — providing not only your next destination inspo, but a guarantee that you won't look like a tourist once you get there.
Image: Imaxtree
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Carven Fall 2016: Kathmandu
Carven's designers told the story of a city-slicking girl just back from a journey to Kathmandu. The Fall 2016 collection wove in souvenirs from her trip with exotic twists, like layered Nepalese prints, Sherpa knits, lots of shearling and a moto jacket with a mountain range graphic that brings to mind the Himalayas.
Image: Imaxtree
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Libertine Fall 2016: Mount Everest
Nepal's majestic mountain range is clearly awe-inspiring — and fashion-inspiring at that. Libertine referenced the world's highest peak with its Fall 2016 collection, which started with designer Johnson Hartig's recurring dream about attempting to scale Mount Everest.
Image: Imaxtree
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Ulyana Sergeenko Fall 2016 Haute Couture: Russia
So you may not be able to travel back in time to Soviet-era Russia, but Ulyana Sergeenko's Fall 2016 Haute Couture collection (inspired by the bygone era) just may make you want to go searching for the vestiges. The designer has made a name for herself with collections paying homage to the motherland, but this one focused on 60s Russia with handmade lace and mosaic furs inspired by Soviet craftsmanship.
Image: Imaxtree
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Edun Resort 2017: Africa
Africa is vast and diverse, but the Edun Resort 2017 collection pulled from such far-reaching sources that you could use it to design a complete tour of the continent. Vibrant stripes and draping referenced the ceremonial attire of the Gio people of northeastern Liberia and looks utilized ethically-sourced African materials: South African organic cotton canvas, Ethiopian jersey, Madagascan sweaters and Kenyan hand-carved mother-of-pearl buttons.
Image: Courtesy of Edun
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Hellessy Resort 2017: South America
The corrida de sortija is a traditional gaucho festival that takes place in the South American Río de la Plata region and it caught the eye of designer Sylvie Millstein who used it as the starting point for her Hellessy Resort 2017 collection. If the real gauchos dress anything like the collection's Argentinian-inspired chambray, silk jacquard, blouson sleeves, micro florals and split trousers, we'd love to see it with our own eyes.
Image: Courtesy of Hellessy
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Bibhu Mohapatra Fall 2016: China
Bibhu Mohapatra whisked us off with his Fall 2016 collection inspired by the Empress Dowager Cixi, a concubine who went on to be the last empress of China. Splashes of Forbidden City vermilion, dragonfly motifs, embroidered ginkgo leaves and rich jacquard all recall the Far East.
Image: Imaxtree
