Louis Vuitton Unveils Cruise 2016/17 Collection In Rio De Janeiro

Set against the backdrop of Rio’s The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in the 1990s, we waited in the giant space-age dome with a kind of hushed marvel as the first major international fashion show to ever come to Brazil was about to begin. Mingling with the guests pre-show (much to the delight of the wildly excitable Brazilian fans waiting outside) were the Swedish Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, Jaden Smith, Catherine Deneuve and a handful of homegrown supermodel types, such as Alessandra Ambrosio, as the seasoned jet-set crowd invited by the brand waited patiently to be the first to place orders. Set against crimson blue skies, the music screamed and thrashed as 47 models came thundering down the runway creating one of the most dramatic entrances to a show most of us had seen.

 

Not to say the clothes didn’t speak for themselves. Pop culture seemed to play an important reference with bags designed as ’80s boom boxes (that actually play music), while graffiti-adorned bodycon separates were littered throughout.

 

There was a definite nod to athleticism with zip-fastened dresses made from performance fabrics and footwear that resembled something of a unique marriage between the famous Havaianas flip-flop and a boxing boot.

 

Post-show, we were shuttled to Parque Lage set at the bottom of the mystical Corcovado that made an appearance through eerie clouds. We danced the night away with foot-stomping, party-loving samba dancers clear in the knowledge that the new Vuitton mood was now more than comfortable in its DNA. – Katie Trotter