Louis Vuitton x Palm Springs
The Resort collection attendee is 1) very privileged and 2) very jet-lagged: on Monday we saw Chanel present in Seoul, next week we head to Nice for Dior, Rome for Valentino, Dolce and Gabbana in Portofino, and London for Versace Versus. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's discuss yesterday’s Louis Vuitton Cruise collection shown in Palm Springs. Venue: Bob Hope’s $25 million Space ship mansion designed by John Lautner, which seemed to fit in perfectly in the out of this world moonscape Southern California setting. The location carried the melody of the collection which echoed the fantasy of the desert and a futuristic character.
So- lets get right to it shall we?
Most outstanding were the intricate details of each piece, which I think was shown well through the diverse prints. We saw rich stained glass patterns reminding me of something very Valentino, and bubbly paisley jumping out at us. Organic tribal prints evoked the tranquil spirit of the Cahuilla Native Americans (along with fringes and tanned leather dresses) which juxtaposed with the harsh, cold, industrial prints of linked chains seemingly inspired by Urs Fisher. Chains were also made 3-D and tied around the waist of models. Don't these concept make us think of oppression- on one hand a group of people oppressed and on the other hand chains literally restricting us- but the models break them loose as shown through the revealing naked patch of the belly emphasizing that these aren't models- they are warriors!
Aha! So now we have discovered the theme of the show. I would argue Pseudo Female Warrior aesthetics all mixed together throughout history. We have the Native American, as discussed above, we see medieval references of metallic shoulder pads and jackets (shining armor?), romantic Edwardian-style dresses, nylon quilted duster coats, worn by the typical 1950s American housewives, the 70’s jumpsuit, and sci-fi space rangers ready to battle it out with their chunky boots and Tevas shoes and backpacks ready for anything. No one can combine and redefine so many time periods into one collection and make each historical references feel so modern as Nicolas Ghesquiere.
Returning to a more literal note- this cruise collection substituted the A-line mini skirt with itsy-bitsy hot pants, experimented with both rigid and flimsy collars, and took textures to a new galaxy. Ghesquiere played with Studio 59 like color blocked sequins, patinated leathers, dramatic, glossy snakeskin, and perforated lambskin. Also, the silhouette combined hard-as-concrete architectural structure and lines with frothy pants and skirts, two opposing forces sometimes zipped together literally enforcing that jumpsuit image.
However the zipper moment belonged rightfully to the red floor grazing masterpiece in crimson leather, with it’s ruffled neckline and LV monogram cutouts. Provocative. California Cool. Grunge. Wild West. Strong. Why make a night gown out of chiffon if one can use leather?
If anything justifies transporting 550 guests to the middle of the desert, Ghesquiere’s idyllic vision on Resort 2016 takes the cake.
The Warriors:
