Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton took-off abroad to present their Cruise collections for 2016, staging the off-season shows in exotic places like Seoul, Cannes and Palm Springs. But nothing says creative one-upmanship more than a preseason collection filled with beautiful fabrics, presented before a flown-in celebrity crowd. Here’s a rundown of the best textures, yarns and prints to walk for the French trio for Cruise 2016.Chanel Karl Lagerfeld staged his latest Chanel collection at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, an avant-garde building in Seoul. Lagerfield’s line mixed traditional South Korean dressing with iconic Chanel. Tweed jackets in bright combinations of color kicked things off, encrusted with the French maison’s signature double ‘C’ and Chanel-name, both patterned into saccharine-hued patchworks. The South Korean ‘kimono’ proved strong - splashed with turquoise, pale yellow, melon, green and bright blue. There was mother-of-pearl embroidery inspired by decorations on a Korean wedding chest; a silk sheer blouse with patent leather sleeves; and bold stripes, dots and the famous Chanel florals across pleated skirts, high-waisted dresses and wraps. High empire dresses acted as a finale, orchestrating an ensemble of sequins, lace, embroidery and knits – rounding out Chanel’s homage to South Korea traditionalism. Louis Vuitton Nicolas Ghesquiere went for a venue of blue skies and mountain views at Palm Springs for Louis Vuitton’s Cruise collection. From the first look there was a folksy, Coachella-vibe: a maxi skirt with a cropped top bound by leather belts. Then came printed and quilted silk coats; beaded scuba jackets; leather biker jackets; and hot pants escalating to thigh-heights. The latter came topped with a camo sweater, or a silk blouse with metallic hardware and a rounded suede jacket with metal bits. Chain links, pinstripes and paisley got festive with vintage florals, leaf appliqué and of course, the Louis Vuitton monogram. The Victoriana dresses were the climax of the show, cut in pieced prints and leather lace. Dior Raf Simons for Dior chose the bubble-shaped, Mars-red home in Cannes (owned by Pierre Cardin) to show an architectural yet feminine collection in the desert hills of the Bay of Cannes. Checked modernized suits, smock dresses and knitted rompers featured in the opening legs of the three-part show. Then, kilts and gingham shorts sat under sculptural jackets with circular sleeves and cinched, pleated waists. Minimal sports dresses and cut-off sailor pants were matched with Lurex-striped tops. Inspired by Dior’s architectural obsession, Simons then went for concertina pleats and crocheted flowers, which skimmed the ends of mini skirts in sheer, sporty mesh.