October 7, 2020 |
The world has turned upside down and Nicolas Ghesquière is designing for the in-between. Louis Vuitton, the final show of the Paris season, seized the post-Corona moment. The designer talked about his obsession with time clash and his show, combined past, present and future. A real life catwalk, (the past) shown to a socially distanced audience (the present), broadcast to the globe via social media, with viewers able to control camera angles as well as enjoy a vivid, moving backdrop thanks to green screen technology. This multi-tier experience surely is the post-Pandemic future of fashion shows. It didn’t just work; it was exciting and innovative.
This show was only just Post-Covid, in terms of approach; it was post-gender in terms of design. Ghesquière has in mind a new space when designing that’s “Not clearly feminine or masculine, but in between.” Mannish khakis, the words “VOTE” or “KICK” in candy bar slogan graphics for oversized tees that could also double as dresses, dramatic, floor-sweeping coats, baggy utility trousers, and squishy house slippers, made up a wardrobe that took real-life dressing to another level. The knits were designed with adjustable straps so that they could be worn in different ways, on different bodies. Comfort, practicality and design dynamism mixed in an oversized look that blended skater style with eighties proportions. Ghesquière nailed it: Past, present, future but also very now.
Photography courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
