Photographer Erik Melvin captures the Austrian places and colors that inspired Mignonne Gavigan’s Fall/Winter ’19 collection.
Mignonne Gavigan’s philosophy is that sophistication and playfulness can coexist, thoughtfully designing one-of-a-kind pieces, handcrafted by artisans in India, that tell a story of faraway travels.
At the core of Mignonne Gavigan’s ethos is travel, and for their fall collection, designer Mignonne (Maggie) Gavigan journeyed to Vienna, Austria, and the surrounding countryside towns. Combining the influence of Belvedere Palace, artist Gustav Klimt, and the way that the light floods through both architecture and hillsides, the trip perfectly encapsulated a travel-inspired collection of deeply personal pieces.
Shop down Stallburggasse Street in Vienna, Austria for wonderful antique shops to pop in and out of–there are so many good ones. We spent a day scouring vintage home decor, food markets, and silk scarfs. Note that most shops close on Sunday!
Down Ringstrasse, one of the loveliest boulevards and home to many of Vienna’s best known sights: Imperial Palace, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna State Opera, Natural History Museum,and more. This is a must!
Minoritenkirche one of the oldest churches in Vienna with such beautiful architecture. The Platz is incredibly quiet which is lovely and a nice break from the Michaelerplatz tourists. Every bit of texture and architecture I took in was infused in to my fall 2019 collection.
Exquisite ceiling detail of Hotel Imperial. I spent one night here and was in awe of the grandeur and detail in each room, and particularly of the grand hallway.
Benediktinerstift Admont Bibliothek & Museum: The library of Admont Abbey is breathtakingly beautiful, constructed by Austrian master builder Josef Hueber. One of our favorite shoot locations of the trip, and a catalyst for the pale lavender color of our Fall collection.
A place to get lost in. Hidden corners of flooded light and hundreds of books in the Admont Library. Color palette inspiration everywhere.
Babbling brook that we admired during our walk through the historical Hallstatt. Down the way, there were tons of beautiful swans floating around and the mist and fog coming off the water was breathtaking. Could have stayed here forever.
Flowers are represented in all Mignonne Gavigan collections. You will find dreamy shades of pink and rose gold tones through the fall collection inspired by the many flowers on our travels through Austria. We took a lovely afternoon walk through Old Town and Market Square of Hallstatt to see the traditional houses and balconies draped with flowers. These blush roses growing along the side of someone’s home were abstracted to design this season’s Milly collection.
A roadside field along our drive from Admont to Hallstatt. It was stunning in the late afternoon sun and provided to most magical backdrop. The hues painting the landscape in shades of green, blue, and cool grey nodding to part of our fall palette.
The pace of life in so much of the countryside of Austria was really refreshing. I think Europe can be intimidating as you want to make sure to fill your trip with every experience, but this trip in particular reminded me of the importance of including moments of stillness.
Colorful, winding streets of Senftenberg. We are obsessed with color, so it was fun to see the playful way that old cities paint themselves in pastels.
A magical walk up to Burgruine Senftenberg castle ruins at sunset was the perfect end to a long day. No one else was around, so it was incredibly quiet and freeing to wander with views of the city below. I’d recommend the beautiful family run Winery Nigl to stay and dine as well as the Grand Hotel for a lakeside lunch.
Nature is a huge source of inspiration. On these trips, it's remarkable to witness what blooms exist at different times of the year.
