Louis Vuitton transports its audience to discover a treasure chest of baroque art, from which an enchanted story emanates, the tale of a modern fable experienced by marvelous creatures in idyllic gardens. Mysterious figures abandon aquatic abodes to explore the beauty of the terrestrial world, presenting dreamlike stylistic interpretations, where technical materials bond with fine fabrics, creating a union of opposites. The collection is a fable in actuality: the woman described by Nicolas Ghesquière is strong, independent, able to survive the obstacles of the outside world with the help of her only ally, the nature. It is a botanical Cruise, composed of playful paradoxes that fascinate and arouse interest in the viewer, intrigued to see a veritable personification of a mermaid. The characters involved in the story, as well as the clothes they wear, oscillate between the mythological fantasy that reigns on the island and the reality developed by living on the mainland, narrating scenes of continuous transformation that allow for a dynamic exchange between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Louis Vuitton continues its journey towards innovation, transferring its values of elegance and refinement to a whole new world, developing a magical style that pushes the limits of the possible and the boundaries of the real: the clothes constantly change their appearance within the collection, presenting decisive and essential shapes that become elegant and rich volumes.
The Cruise Collection is a narrative of transformation. Sartorial characters that renew themselves, each in contact with the other. A to and fro between the familiar and the singular.
The first fantastical creatures wear dresses made of scuba fabric to highlight the connection with the aquatic world: the sleeves of the jackets have long points that create movement, while the particular shape of the collars faithfully echoes the figure of the mermaid. Technical dresses acquire a slight sensuality with crop tops and mini skirts that gently open up, creating a game of oscillations; bodysuits in technical material are worn under long, light outerwear that seem to explode at elbow height, creating volume that alters the shape of the silhouette. The protagonist creatures of the tale are lake women who wear skirts covered in large sequins, like iridescent scales to survive the realm of deep water. Pleated mini dresses characterized by important draping differ in the collection by bright colors that turn from yellow to orange, from green to blue: the ever-changing garments transform the appearance of the body, which abruptly adapts to tight and technical fabrics, to light and long dresses and to stiff and voluminous tops. At the same time, the collection’s style is inspired by the history of Isola Bella, incorporating details reminiscent of a bygone era of gilded elements and prestigious workmanship, made current and modern by different lengths and structures
To conclude the fairy tale, Nicolas Ghesquière takes up again the image of the mermaid, declining it in long embroidered shirts studded with colorful beads that anticipate the final metamorphosis of the magical creatures: long dresses in pastel colors close the tale with important volumes at the top, through large bows on the bodice and rich, puffy sleeves. Mini-bags are abandoned, favoring oversized bowling bags and buckets, which alternate with models sprinkled with sequins. Models wear flashy helmets, feather headgear and silver masks, like fascinating yet mysterious beings moving gracefully on this marvelous oasis, where time seems to stand still for an instant. What until 1630 was a barren rock inhabited by fishermen became an earthly paradise with Charles Borromeo III, who kept the environment pure to this day, becoming Louis Vuitton’s chosen location for his fable: classic French elegance is introduced into a unbelievable world, where the fantasies of the mind take over and become reality.
