Christian Dior In Cannes

What are designers really selling now with their cruise collections? Yes, new desirable stuff with which to fill their glossy, global flagships come November - but just as important now, is the experience, and with that, location, location, location is no longer a currency only valid in real estate, designers are trading on it too.

And so the fashion pack descended upon Cannes for Raf Simons' latest offering for Dior, with many show-goers flying in direct from Palm Springs where Nicolas Ghesquiere presented Louis Vuitton´s cruise collection poolside at Bob Hope´s estate: and prior to this, the rolling tour began in Seoul, Korea for Chanel where Karl Lagerfeld showed in the futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza (editors' air miles are at an all-time high).

Spectacular architecture is becoming something of a trend, and on that note, Dior invited guests to the Bubble Palace, 'Palais Bulles', the 12,900sq ft Riviera coastline residence of Pierre Cardin. Designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag, and built between 1975 and 1989, the space-age structure takes shape as a sprawling arrangement of 26 domed pods, the effect is one part Flintstones and one part Teletubbies.

It wasn't just the fact that Raf Simons is a fan of the place, there is a neat synergy here too: we all know Dior has a long affiliation with the South of France (Christian Dior had a home in the village of Montauroux), but Pierre Cardin worked in the Dior ateliers during the New Look era of the late Forties as Mr Dior's head of atelier tailleur. It's a cosy alliance and 92-year-old Cardin was here front row.

"It's a place that I have been fascinated by for a number of years and I am so happy to be able to show here," said Simons. "It's individual and playful" - a description that could be given to his collection this evening, which illustrated Raf Simons flexing his muscle.

Brimming with confidence, the designer developed the ideas that make him tick - shiny tech fabrics, fearless colour combinations like pink and green - while modernising and reimagining codes of the historic house. Tailoring was standout, nipped waists flared into gathered peplums and there was something about the exaggerated curved lapel that matched with the spherical architecture of the surroundings.

A handmade sensibility felt young and crafty - like a crochet skirt, and elsewhere, fishermen's-net sheaths that reined in flouncy hemlines. Strips of frayed Lurex looked fabric looked like they had been gathered from the cutting room floor before being patched together horizontally to make miniskirts and tank tops. There was lots to love, not least those mismatched earrings that will no doubt spur waiting lists the world over.

Post-show, as the skies turned inky blue and the lights of Cannes twinkled in the near distance, fireworks exploded over the Mediterranean. One word read from the back of a white gown and also on cute duffel bags summed it up: "Paradise". It sure was.