When top fashion designers want to flex their creative muscles and think outside the dress form, the world of luxury hotels and resorts seems to be a natural next step. Whether it be decadent beach resorts from Ralph Lauren and Diesel, chic boutiques from Maison Martin Margiela, or massive hotel empires from Missoni, thoroughly well-dressed lodgings are popping up across the globe. So Pack up some corresponding outfits—remember, wearing Armani to the Palazzo Versace is simply not done—and take a glamorous vacation to some of the chicest fashion designer hotels, below:
Vivienne Tam:
Designer Vivienne Tam modeled the simple Vivienne Tam Designer Suite at the Hotel Icon in Kowloon, Hong Kong after her very own NYC home. The suite offers panoramic views, an Art Deco bedroom, and what the hotel refers to as Tam's signature brand of "China chic."
Missoni:
(↑) Italian fashion powerhouse Missoni opened the 18-floor Hotel Missoni in Salmiya, Kuwait in 2011. All rooms are, of course, fully decked out in the brand's linens, bathrobes, and signature zig zags.
(↑) The colorful empire has yet another branch in Edinburgh, Scotland. Unfortunately, both are apparently scheduled to "cease to operate under the marks of Hotel Missoni latest by 30th June 2014," so book a stay before it's too late.
Diesel:
(↑) Created by Diesel creative director Wilbert Das, the Uxua Casa Hotel in Trancoso, Brazil, offers nine secluded cottages, each "influenced in some way" by the fishing island's rich history of "Portuguese adventurers, Jesuit missionaries, Indian tribes, African slaves, and even Brazilian hippies," according to the hotel's website.
Giorgio Armani:
(↑) The cream and gold-hued Armani Hotel Dubai occupies space in the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower on Earth, and offers 160 lush rooms designed by the Italian fashion mogul to "reflect his personal approach to elegance." There are also three retail shops for souvenirs, flowers, and, of course, hand-selected clothing and accessories from the Armani/Privé collection.
(↑) Armani has another hotel in Milan, this one with an Art Deco theme.
Bathing Ape:
(↑) The Real Bape suite at the Hotel Éclat in Beijing, China was designed by the funky Japanese brand Bathing Ape, as evidenced by the iconic ape and banana decor.
Moschino:
(↑) The 65-room Maison Moschino in Milan works to embody "the true essence of the brand." Committed to a slightly sinister fairytale theme, different storybook rooms feature 3D Big Bad Wolf bedspreads, ball-gown beds, and Alice in Wonderland-esque teacup furniture. "Entering Maison Moschino is like falling down a rabbit hole," explains the website. "You come to expect the unexpected."
BVLGARI:
(↑) The 59 villas at BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts in Bali, Indonesia offer private living rooms, lush, tropical gardens, personal pools, and, of course, decor done in "authentic Bulgari luxurious style." The Italian brand also has a BVLGARI boutique onsite, should guests need a break from gorgeous beaches on the Indian Ocean.
(↑) The BVLGARI Hotel in Milan, meanwhile, is set in a renovated 18th-century palazzo.
(↑) A third, more modern, option in London promises "elegant contemporary architecture and Bulgari's legendary flair for design."
Christian Lacroix:
(↑) The 33 rooms at the Hotel le Bellechasse in Paris, France are done up in what Racked refers to as "whimsical, surrealist collages of butterflies, lobsters, and regal figures." The dramatic color schemes also befit the French couturier's decadent style.
Diane von Furstenberg:
(↑) The rooms that Diane von Furstenberg decorated for London's Claridges Hotel feature the fashion legend's signature prints and ladylike style. Guests can chose between the "Piano Suite" and the "the Studio by DVF."
Maison Martin Margiela:
(↑) Known for being the first ever hotel to be decorated by the enigmatic Belgian designer Martin Margiela, the Maison Champs Elysées in Paris delivers minimalist decor with some unexpected elements, like a display case filled with stuffed tropical birds and a cluster of faux fungi "growing" in the corner of a hotel suite.
Karl Lagerfeld:
(↑) For reasons unknowable to anyone but the white haired fashion maven himself, a few years ago Karl Lagerfeld deigned to join forces with Magnum ice cream to build a Paris hotel room entirely out of chocolate. Oh, to sit in on that brainstorm session...
(↑) Lagerfeld also helped to design the pool and grounds for the Hôtel Métropole in glamourous Monte Carlo. His contribution? A 65-foot-long tableau inspired by Homer's The Iliad and the The Odyssey. But of course.
(↑) In the '90s, Lagerfeld lent his talents to the Schlosshotel Im Grunewald in Berlin. While much of the grand hotel has since been redone, one of his fully furnished suites has remained untouched.
Versace:
(↑) An inspiration for rappers and home decorators alike, the Italian fashion house opened the opulent Palazzo Versace in Queensland, Australia in 2000. Gold, marble, mosaic interiors match the brand's outlandish fashion contributions fittingly.
(↑) Another decadently on-brand Versace outpost sparkles in Dubai.
Ralph Lauren:
(↑) While outfitting a suite in Montego Bay, Jamaica sounds more like a job for Tommy Bahama than Ralph Lauren, the Pineapple House suite at the Round Hill Hotel & Villa is the brainchild of the American designer.
Oscar de la Renta:
(↑) Offering what might be the classiest spring break digs of all time (no beer-soaked crumbling motels here), the Oscar de la Renta designed Tortuga Bay hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic goes bright and cheery with sunshine-yellow suites and classic wicker furniture.
Alice Temperley:
The lovely British fashion designer Alice Temperley created this oh-so-trendy teepee for the One&Only Le Saint Géran Mauritius island resort. Surprise! On the inside hangs a glittering chandelier.
· We'll Have The Memories But Hotel Missonis Are No More [Hotel Chatter]
· All Missoni coverage [Curbed National]
· All Armani coverage [Curbed National]
· All BVLGARI coverage [Curbed National]
· BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts [Official site]
· All Christian LaCroix coverage [Curbed National]
· All Diane von Furstenberg coverage [Curbed National]
· Maison Moschino [Official site]
· Round Hill [Official site]
· Maison Champs Elysées [Official site]
· All Maison Martin Margiela coverage [Curbed National]
· Fashion Designer Hotels [Telegraph]
· Éclat Hotels [Official site]
· Uxua Casa Hotel [Official site]
· Pack Your Louis Vuitton Luggage: We've Got Your Passport to 14 Fashion Hotels Round the World [Racked]
· World's hautest stays: 15 designer-branded hotels [CNN]
· All Hotels Weeks 2014 coverage [Curbed National]