Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton took to the middle of the desert to showcase its newest cruise collection by Nicolas Ghesquière. Bob and Dolore Hope’s estate in Palm Springs set the scene for the new range, which flaunted a distinct seventies vibe.
Front rows were filled with A-list stars including Michelle Williams, Selena Gomez, Kanye West and many more. The scene provided the fashion world with a warm welcoming break from city life, and for the models who were lucky enough to flaunt the new range it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The modernist estate is a concreted structure surrounded by futuristic shapes. Known as Journey into Space and designed by American John Lautner in 1973, the estate is considered a modern architectural masterpiece: fitting for an iconic label such as Louis Vuitton. As Ghesquière remarked to AFP during the event:
“What inspired me very much is the contrast in this home between a certain brutalist exterior — it is very radical — and the softer, more decorative items inside.”
After working with Balenciaga for 15 years, Ghesquière replaced Marc Jacobs as as the artistic director for LV in 2013. His newest collection provides a unique modernist flair, with fluid silhouettes favouring the idea of “movement, which is important for Vuitton – a woman who moves.” Fabrics leaned heavily toward the incorporation of leather: a deliberate choice by the designer, who “almost wanted to create confusion” in his choice of materials.
Ghesquière admitted in an interview with Vogue regarding his latest showcase:
“There is the black palm [detail] and a real desert feeling in the collection. They are this community of women who could have evolved in the desert. But you also know that it’s Louis Vuitton.”
He did well in striking a balance between futurism, style and modernity.
Cruise collections are an important asset to high fashion houses. It’s an opportunity to consolidate and bond with clients in an intimate setting no fashion show can reproduce. Louis Vuitton’s chief executive Michael Burke commented that “in Paris, fashion shows are mainly for the press and store buyers, and customers can end up getting ignored… here, we had the chance to lure customers for three days in a very civilized atmosphere — something fashion weeks cannot offer.”
6 Things to Know about the show
- Ghesquière thought of everything. Guests were greeted by a flock of models flaunting vivaciously made up faces. They appeared as technicolor masterpieces, sucking on popsicles and cigarettes as they hovered on a balcony above the arriving celebrities.
Close up of Hair and Make-up. Photo Credit: Vogue - The prints were spectacularly vivid: eccentric tribal designs, stain-glass dresses and paisley – all accompanied by undulating chains.
- LV evening wear appeared to receive an upgrade, with their featured maxi dresses exposing monogram cutouts, full-length zippers and stylish streaks of crimson leather.
- Michel Gaubert’s tunes filled the atmosphere in appropriately modernist style. Judging by the towering Plexiglas speakers that dotted the set we can only hope that nobody’s ears were damaged during the show.
Holy Speakers. Photo Credit: Los Angeles Fashion - Ghesquière had a series of ‘hot pant’ designs: slightly unusual, as he normally showcases A-line minis. Ladies, start your lunges now!
- While the House of Vuitton is no Palm Springs, the collection screamed embossed exotics, layered pendants and printed train cases – all spelling out and paying tribute to the mystical desert.
5 New Faces you need to know
Whilst there was a return of some renowned faces on the runway, like Egle Tvirbutaite, brand new faces graced the show this year. Ghesquière aimed to represent an eclectic ethos as a way of merging familiar Parisian elegance with the cool Californian vibe. The result? An elegant package and a means to get to know some new beauties!
Lily Stewart
L.A. girl Stewart was signed the moment she set foot in Freedom Models’ L.A. office and has made appearances in Vogue Italia – alongside fellow Vuitton girls Katy O’Kane and Erika Linder – and in Resort look books. She has always been a busy gal, but Vuitton puts her on a new level.
Pooja Mor
A blessing from Mumbai, Mor is already a popular model back home, appearing in the pages of Vogue India, Grazia, and Femina. Signed with Elite in NYC, the elegant Mor was scouted after studying for a career as a computer engineer, a path she plans on resuming sometime down the road. There’s nothing more we love than a brainy beauty.
Viviane Oliveira
A Brazilian model since 2011, the striking Oliveira has been making the rounds at events like Fashion Rio. Last season she hit NYC with a strut for Thom Browne, but the Vuitton runway marks her highest-profile work to date.
Heather Kemesky
Orange County born-and-bred, local Californian Kemesky has been modeling on-and-off since the age of 14. Appropriate to her laid-back personality, she has appeared in indie magazines i-D and Schön!. Kemesky has been building a name for herself in fashion circles as well as becoming a favorite of the street-style set.
Mad Manning
Straight out of Scottsdale and headed for the big leagues, Manning was signed with the Agency Arizona and is now walking for one of the worlds biggest fashion houses, Vuitton. Who says you have to be in a fashion capital to get noticed? Recently placed with The Society in New York, Manning is a blonde reminiscent of babydoll-era girls like Heather Marks, but with a charm all her own that’s helping her quickly penetrate the fashion world.
Meet Lv’s New Girl!
Alicia Vikander, 26, is the most recently named face for their fashion, and the actress is très impressionnant, if we do say so ourselves.
Hailing from Sweden, Vikander, like most, started her acting career with a variety of small roles within film and television. She became more widely known after appearing in the Swedish TV drama Andra Avenyn (2008-2011).
This year, her acting career is set to skyrocket, with roles in eight films due for release. LV had no trouble in picking the new face for their brand, as the brunette graces any space with her shoulder-length cut, smooth glowing skin, and undeniable street style. The doe-eyed beauty is an emblem of radiance. But what she also embodies is a clear sense of femininity and youthfulness. Also, with many years behind the camera and natural poise, she is a perfect candidate for their brand, even without years of modelling experience specifically.
How Vikander will fit in her Vuitton commitments while starring in and promoting eight films in 2015 is not totally clear, but at least she’ll have Nicolas Ghesquière’s new desert boots to consolidate her along the way.
Written by Erika De Pellegrin & Kelli Strong