October 3, 2018 |
Around a historic courtyard within the Louvre, snaked a series of stark glass tunnels. It was as if some secret agency had constructed a secret facility in the most hallowed crucible of French culture. That’s what Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière did. The designer was in upbeat futurist mode. The first look – a voluminous blouson with space suit sleeves and matching mini skirt – set the tone for this sporty, vivid, sci-fi-inflected show. Out came the Ghesquière gang in their colourful confident clothes. This was not an exercise in clinical chic. Although the clothes were precise, they were also gaudy (in a good way) and the collection throbbed with a vibrant energy. The prints looked as if they were borrowed from collaged Instagram feeds or Memphis inspired graphics.
It was highly crafted but felt modern. One Sequin embroidered mesh dress, melded haute handwork with modernist chic. And was that Ghesquière menswear we saw? No, said the house, but there were several ultra-androgynous models in the show wearing butch, wide-shouldered zip-fronted blazers and crisp chinos. This was not a dystopian vision, but one full of optimism and joy. The models, with their big, bouncy scrunch-dried curls were unstoppable. Ghesquière is looking to the future with a smile on his face. Us too.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
