Cruise/resort collection shows are essential stops on the international fashion calendar. This time, much like everything else, they went digital, with brands such as Dior, Valentino and Louis Vuitton revealing digital presentations.

From Dior’s Resort 2021 show that paid homage to the memory and values of exceptional craftsmanship, to Valentino’s color-filled creations that were shot by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli himself, to Louis Vuitton’s fashion shoot in a lockdown, this year’s collections have captured the essence of life, as we now know it.

Dior’s collection shines the spotlight on Italian crafts and craftsmen. The show premiered at the Piazza del Duomo in Lecce, a small town in Puglia, Italy.  The label’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, envisioned a line that blurs the distinction between humble and haute. The prints in this collection are inspired by the motto of Le Costantine Foundation, ‘Amando e Cantando’, meaning ‘Loving and Singing’. Artist Pietro Ruffo has reimagined a summer landscape on long cotton dresses, shirts and shorts. Inspired by German writer and poet Heinrich Heine’s travel essay, Pietro’s designs have proverbs etched onto them .

Valentino’s Resort 2021 collection was shot against the beautiful landscapes of Piccioli’s hometown, Nettuno, Italy, starring Mariacarla Boscono as the muse. He wanted the pieces to reflect his personal diary, with vibrant hues of green and fuchsia paired with botanical motifs. The prints in the collection were inspired by 18th-century tapestries. Caftans, elongated shift dresses, capes and separates await.

For Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2021 showcase, Nicolas Ghesquière turned his simple studio in Paris into a runway. There’s a strong palette of colors, with bright orange mixed with pastel denim. The iconic LV monogram bedecks the shoulder-padded jackets, shirts and pants.