Louis Vuitton picked a high-profile fundraising gala to officially launch its first permanent collection of tableware, surprising 200 guests at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte with two new complete sets of dinnerware, plus the luxury brand’s new range of cutlery.
The event on Saturday, benefiting International Friends of Vaux-le-Vicomte, was hosted by Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Pietro Beccari; American architect Peter Marino; film producer Christine Schwarzman and La Comtesse Patrice de Vogüé, whose family owns the baroque castle about an hour southeast of Paris.
Cube-shaped bread rolls were plopped on small side plates studded with a graphic Monogram flower, with stripes emanating from the center. Meanwhile, hundreds of gold Vs surrounded the main dish of turbot with fall vegetables, hoisted to mouths with weighty Vuitton forks with a tubular handle.
Long tables, laden with candles and autumnal floral arrangements by Marino, were laid out in rows in some of the smaller reception rooms of the palace that are rarely open to the public.
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Beccari hosted one such table, and was joined by the likes of shoe designer Fabrizio Viti, stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé and couturier Julie de Libran.
Last year, Vuitton dabbled in seasonal tableware collections, which are used in its resort stores, cafés and restaurants.
The two permanent dinnerware collections, Constellation and Splendor, comprise complete sets of porcelain, cutlery, glasses, carafes and decanters and are “designed for all of life’s moments, from everyday meals to special occasions,” according to Vuitton.
“The graphic spirit of Monogram flowers on fine porcelain and handblown glass, along with the herringbone pattern on shimmering silver or the LV initials illuminated in fine gold, allows each piece to fuse the heritage of the maison with its modernity,” it added.
The Constellation collection of Limoges porcelain consists of 13 pieces and boasts pointillist patterns that echo elements of the Monogram, while the Splendor ranges spans 17 pieces that play with the letters L and V.
The cutlery line, named Rivet, spans 14 pieces crafted from stainless steel, the tubular shape inspired by the shape of trunk nails. A silver-plated Rivet Épi range boasts on handles the same wavy motif grained on leather handbags, recalling “wheat fields rippling in the sun,” according to Vuitton.
The Constellation and Rivet collections arrive in select Vuitton boutiques on Oct. 31, with Splendor and Rivet Épi available beginning Nov. 14. Twist glasses and Flower carafes come in four colors of Murano glass.
