All set for (space) travel
Nicolas Ghesquière’s longtime fascination with science fiction and outer space are a hallmark of his collections for Louis Vuitton, but none have been so ready for liftoff as his 2022 Cruise collection.
Louis Vuitton’s women’s artistic director made a short film of his collection’s 45 looks at Axe Majeure, a sculpture park near Paris, where models promenaded through the gates of a monument by the late artist Dani Karavan.
Roughly reminiscent of Japan’s Fushimi Inari gates or, more precisely, space portals, the catwalk had a mirror-like surface that made the models look as if they were walking on clouds, aptly set to a soundtrack of Arcade Fire’s bouncy song Reflektor.
While the pandemic has given rise to many optimistic, colorful collections open to the prospect of travel, only Ghesquière’s has offered a ticket not just to earthly destinations but also to the outer reaches of our solar system, where the only passport you need is imagination.
Sundresses were printed with extraterrestrial landscapes; a white coat was emblazoned with a Saturn print and worn with space boots. Sharply tailored uniforms made the models look like military cadets at space camp. I can imagine K-pop stars like BTS wearing these, and what better way to outfit their army?
The bags were a little more down to earth: cross-body totes made with Louis Vuitton’s Monogram leather or woven leather strips, and colorful, boxy handbags with large, chain-link straps that were echoed on some of the dresses, crisscrossing like ammo belts.
There was also a retro Jetsons vibe running through the collection, with go-go boots and apron-like harnesses edged with pink ruffles.
But with statement numbers like a vinyl LBD that was as slick as a black mirror, a dress covered in sparkling silver crystals, and a David Bowie-esque mullet top with red lightning bolts, this is resort wear for a new breed of travel influencer — one about to board Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.
It’s what I imagine Princess Leia would wear while directing the Rebel Alliance. The Force is definitely with Louis Vuitton and Nicolas Ghesquière.
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Louis Vuitton stores are located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati, and Solaire Resort & Casino Manila.
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Follow the author on Instagram @theresejamoragarceau and @thebeautytraveler_ph.