Nicolas Ghesquière confirms his place as a leader in the field at Louis Vuitton show while brand ambassadors Alicia Vikander, Lea Seydoux and Jayden Smith watch on
To watch a designer with an innate ability to marry his own personal taste with the demands placed on him by a global luxury super force – it doesn’t get much better than a show from Nicolas Ghesquière.
Unveiling his latest collection for Louis Vuitton in Paris today, the inimitable Frenchman repurposed his own unique aesthetic into a offering which oozed with luxury.
According to Ghesquière, this show was his “version of sports clothes” - a point of inspiration which saw baseball sweaters recast in mohair and track pants in high shine patent leather. “I wanted to reflect that in a luxurious way. We all live in sports clothes but we wear them with other types of clothes. It's the way women dress today.” he said.
Of course, this being Ghesquière - a designer widely considered to be the most cerebral in Paris - this was no clear cut nod to the athleisure trend but a showcase which saw a sports references underpin a collection that included floral bias cut dresses with racer backs, military gowns and baseball jackets in supreme leather.
Highlights, of which there were many, included leather jackets left open at the bottom to expose the midriff and exquisitely bias cut silk dresses presented alongside leather harnesses.
They were joined by a host of tried and tested Vuitton codes - “it's always about the classics” joked Ghesquière - which came via leopard print trunk cases and a futuristic take on a stomping walking boot.
The show played out to the uplifting sounds of Lou Reed’s Street Hassle and showed Ghesquière to be in an optimistic mood. While the designer’s collections have been known to intimidate the untrained eye, his latest vision came with a sense of ease - albeit for those with the cash to pay for it.
Backstage, Ghesquière accepted congratulations from adoring fans including brand ambassadors Alicia Vikander, Lea Seydoux and Jayden Smith.
Most were clad head to toe in Louis Vuitton. Of course, the influence of this collection will be felt far beyond Vuitton’s A-list guest list.
Since Ghesquière's heyday as creative director of Balenciaga - he swapped Cristobal Balenciaga’s label for Louis Vuitton in 2014 - his intellectual vision has been inspiring designers and high-street brands across the globe.
Today’s show, staged days after Paris’s new golden boy Demna Gvasalia staged his Balenciaga debut, all eyes were on Ghesquière to see if the apprentice had toppled the master.
There was no sign of weakness here. Instead, Ghesquière’s latest vision was a reminder that creative endeavour need not come at the cost of a fashion house’s legacy.
On Sunday Gvasalia began a new chapter for Balenciaga with a collection with which he set out to connect with a new generation of fashion consumer. Today Ghesquière confirmed he was still a leader in his field. Paris is privileged to play home to them both.
ArticleGhesquière's Louis Vuitton show confirms his place as a field leaderParis Fashion WeekLouis VuittonLouis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week AW16
Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week AW16
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Jennifer Connelly, Lea Seydoux, Alicia Vikander, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Selena Gomez, Adele Exarchopoulos and Jaden Smith backstage
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Lea Seydoux and Alicia Vikander on the front row
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Models walk the AW16 runway
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A model walks the AW16 runway
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Nicolas Ghesquière greets his audience
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Ghesquière 's intellectual vision has been inspiring designers and high-street brands across the globe for seasons