In the run-up to the show marking Nicolas Ghesquière’s 10-year anniversary at Louis Vuitton, Paris was abuzz with rumors.
First Lady Brigitte Macron, who often wears the brand on official duty, was said to be attending. Blackpink’s Lisa Manoban, previously a brand ambassador for Celine, was also expected to show.
Both turned out to be true, though the scene at the door was less chaotic than usual (the collateral effect, perhaps, of having a police officer with a machine gun standing near the entrance). Inside the clear plastic tent in a courtyard of the Louvre Museum, arrivals were led swiftly to their seats.
As they waited for the show to start, a bright light periodically passed overhead, like a spaceship on patrol. In the center of the room stood a sci-fi installation by artist Philippe Parreno, but the majority of the 4,000 guests were seated around the perimeter of the room, out of sight of the pulsating orb.
In an echo of his first show for the brand, Ghesquière left a typewritten note on each seat. “It’s a beautiful journey. I’m continuing it,” said the designer, who recently renewed his contract at Vuitton for another five years.
His collection, while not exactly a greatest hits compilation, could be read as a distillation of his work at the house. There were futuristic takes on sportswear, like a graphic two-tone windbreaker with a curved zipper, or a silver flight suit with scarification marks.
Felix, of the K-pop band Stray Kids, walked in an embroidered white turtleneck and metallic track pants, while a boxy minidress, printed with trompe-l’oeil trunk details, was worn with furry mittens as big as bear paws.
Macron’s favorite ice-cool tailoring included a steel gray skirt suit with curved shoulder pads, while a pearl-gray satin coat with feather-like embroidery echoed the brocade frock coats of Ghesquière’s spring 2018 collection.
Precious embroidered jackets, like ’80s couture on steroids, popped against plain leather skirts in frosty hues. Many looks made no kind of sense, like the feather shrug of linebacker proportions worn by a model carrying a monogram bag shaped like an “Alien” egg.
What it all meant, we’ll never know, since Ghesquière stopped doing postshow interviews five years ago. At the helm of the world’s biggest luxury brand, he’s paradoxically one of the world’s most visible designers and one of its least heard, which is a shame, since he’s one of the most original minds in the industry today.
The general public can get a feel for his process via a new series on Vuitton’s YouTube channel, “Nicolas Ghesquière: Shaping Fashion,” which kicked off last month with a joint interview with Emma Stone.
But those hoping to share in the real-life celebration of the designer’s decade at Vuitton were left with the odd feeling of having missed the party, as only the VIP section (presumably) got a glimpse of the designer.
Some reporters tried to make their way to the center of the action after the show, but a guard directed them toward the exit, saying: “The greetings are not for press.” The old saying about the tree falling in the forest came to mind.
