Show review in a sentence: A melting pot of culture distilled into one collection
Designer: Nicholas Ghesquière
Location: The Frick Collection, New York
The vibe: Louis Vuitton has long mastered the art of distilling contemporary culture into something that resonates with the masses. It began in 2001, when Marc Jacobs invited legendary designer and artist Stephen Sprouse to graffiti the house’s classic Speedy bags in acid greens and electric oranges marking a pivotal moment where luxury fashion and contemporary art collided.
Since then, these collaborations have not only kept Vuitton’s cash registers ringing, but also brought contemporary art into the everyday—allowing it to exist far beyond the confines of galleries and auction houses. From Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama to Richard Prince and Jeff Koons, Louis Vuitton has consistently transformed the handbag into a cultural canvas.
And based on the house’s recent Instagram tease, another brilliant collaboration appears to be on the horizon—this time with one of the defining artists of the 1980s: Keith Haring. Known for his signature graphic figures and hieroglyphic-like symbols that strangely resemble emojis long before emojis even existed, Haring’s work sits at the intersection of pop art, activism and street culture thus making him a fitting addition to Louis Vuitton’s ongoing dialogue between fashion and art.
The vision: Held at industrialist Henry Clay Frick’s former Gilded Age mansion—now known as The Frick Collection—the show opened with a model clad in a simple cardigan and denim pairing. Yet what immediately caught the eye was the vintage Vuitton trunk held firmly in her hand, emblazoned with the unmistakable markings of Keith Haring. Said to be a rare archival piece dating back to the 1930s, the trunk reportedly served as the starting point for the collection.
But what truly shone this evening was not so much the Radiant Baby motifs or Haring’s infamous Dancing Figures splashed across several of the house’s classic carry-alls. Rather, it was the sense that Nicolas Ghesquière was finally back in his element. Few designers possess his ability to sift through decades before arriving at a proposition that feels remarkably contemporary to a point it borders on futuristic.
And within the walls of The Frick Collection, it all made perfect sense. One could easily imagine the museum’s infamous paintings from the likes of Anthony van Dyck, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Jean-Honoré Fragonard serving as quiet points of departure. Antique lace, ruffles, pagoda shoulders and old-world botanical prints were paired with leather three-quarts, high-waisted denim, cargo trousers and futuristic sneakers, creating a tension between aristocratic romanticism and urban utility.
I had half expected the Keith Haring references to verge on gimmicky because of its bold and unapologetic nature. Instead, what surprised me most was Ghesquière’s restraint. Haring’s motifs were distilled into graphic outlines framing a series of slip dresses and handbags, while those pulled out abstract prints were reimagined as rouleau-loop embroidered cardigans and knee length dresses. The result? A collection that proves pop culture can indeed hold its place alongside weighty historical references when the intended narrative is crystal clear.
What to shop from this collection: Clearly, the miniature Keith Haring trunk (look 2) stands out as one of the collection’s strongest propositions—perhaps because it comes closest to capturing the spirit of the original work itself. Equally compelling was the black satin biker jacket (look 14), the kind of perennial piece that sits firmly within Ghesquière’s repertoire of modern must-haves. Then came the coat with pagoda shoulders, washed in Haring’s signature orange and paired with what appeared to be an acrylic top-handle bag outlined in black—an unabashed pop-art proposition that felt entirely in step with the spirit of the collection (look 22).
1 / 10
Look 1
2 / 10
Look 2
3 / 10
Look 6
4 / 10
Look 14
5 / 10
Look 22
6 / 10
Look 27
7 / 10
Look 40
8 / 10
Look 44
9 / 10
Look 46
10 / 10
