Show review in a line: The vigour of the city as seen through the lens of Louis Vuitton.
Designers: Nicolas Ghesquiére
Location: Park Güell, Barcelona
The vibe: When it comes to destination travel, Louis Vuitton’s ability to combine culture, art, and fashion with a sense of wonderment has seen its guests travelling across continents to far-flung destinations, from La Jolla in California to Isola Bella in the South of Italy. Today, it is Park Güell, the jewel of architecture nestled on the hills of El Carmel, Barcelona. With a running tabular seating arrangement sectioning the entire venue, the show opened to the trippy beats of Gary Numan’s ‘Music for Chameleons’ and ended with the sublime ‘Madame Butterfly’ by Malcolm McLaren.
The vision: One might ask: why Barcelona? When closely studying the late Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s works alongside the vision of Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, one can’t help but notice the parallels between the two. The overlap meets at the axis of postmodernism and an otherworldly future. Tonight, Ghesquière delivered one of his strongest collections to date, seamlessly blending his signature boxy shoulders, razor-sharp tailoring, and cascading drapes with a smattering of traditional Spanish influences. Picture bolero hats, cut-out lace appliqués, matador jackets, and show-stopping flamenco-esque ruffles turned into capes. Let’s also remember the Gaudí effect, where mosaic prints found their way onto ankle-grazing jodhpurs and Pañosa-inspired silver dresses. And in true Ghesquière fashion, futuristic aviators and sculptural hardware for accessories, adorned with an iridescent wash on the lip, propelled the entire collection straight into the future.
What to shop from this collection: A designer with range has the ability to speak to a large spectrum of women, and at today’s show, the options were aplenty. For starters, the boxy suit dress with the white stiff collar (look 1) looked exceptionally modern with its minimalistic details, while the black asymmetric top with an attached flamenco cape (look 20) is capable of transitioning from frothy and romantic to dark and mysterious just by switching out the bottom to a stiffer material like leather. Ghesquière’s signature bauble skirt made its return this evening, now fuller and tiered (look 50)—instantly adding an eccentric touch to any given ensemble. Lastly, for those of you who are looking for that one item to switch up your wardrobe—look no further than the two-tone western-inspired boots with a wedged heel.
1 / 11
Look 1
2 / 11
Look 2
3 / 11
Look 19
4 / 11
Look 20
5 / 11
Look 29
6 / 11
Look 30
7 / 11
Look 36
8 / 11
Look 42
9 / 11
Look 44
10 / 11
Look 50
11 / 11
