Nicolas Ghesquière presented a new take on power dressing in a hidden courtyard in the Louvre
WE MADE IT. Louis Vuitton marks the last show on the Dazed calendar and the penultimate show of the entire AW18 schedule. Set inside the Louvre, we could barely concentrate on the collection given the sheer amount of celebs in the room (although in the end we managed – and there was plenty to look at). Here’s everything that went down.
LV MADE IT RAIN
The show began as rain began to hammer on the plastic roof that had been erected over the museum’s hidden inner courtyard (we thought the timing was too good for it to be real, but I guess the gods just wanted to make the final show of AW18 a memorable one). The runway had been constructed from metal panels like something straight out of Star Wars. At the start of the show, the ends of the structure – which had been pointing straight into the air – dropped to connect with the building’s stone staircase, which perfectly echoed the show’s “past meets future” theme.
OMG, THE CELEBS
Jaden Smith (complete with pink hair), Chloë Grace Moretz, Blue Is The Warmest Colour co-stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner, Demi Moore, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Stone…basically, everyone that’s starred in a Louis Vuitton campaign was there. French First Lady Brigitte Macron – who entertained a number of fashion designers at the presidential residence yesterday (while dressed in LV, obvs) – sat on the front row, and Jean Paul Gaultier turned up too: the French designer even posed for selfies with the gathered crowds outside (rain, be damned).
THE COLLECTION BALANCED THE OLD AND THE NEW
Models hit the runway in ladylike button-down camisoles, wool pencil skirts, and leather and suede trousers, while futuristic elements came in the form of boxy, tape-seam sweaters and cardigans featuring Star Trek-esque ‘LV’ patches to the chest. Elsewhere, classic drop-shouldered overcoats and leather jackets were shot through with lemon, cobalt blue and red stripes, as many looks were finished with leather gloves, diamond-studded costume jewellery, waist-training corsets, and pointed courts.
...AND WAS DESIGNED WITH STRONG WOMEN IN MIND
Tired of the clichéd idea that strong women could only be perceived as such by wearing typically mannish silhouettes and severe tailoring, Ghesquière instead explored the idea that traditionally feminine styling could be just as powerful. “I love this idea to have women that changed the world that were not dressing like men,” the designer told WWD post-show.