Golden Hour: Why Louis Vuitton’s Cruise Is a Collection Worth Remembering
Molten metallics and a sci-fi spirit combined to create this spectacular collection
If the biannual catwalk shows in February and September are the bread and butter of the fashion calendar, the Cruise collections provide a delightfully frivolous filling in between, with clothes designed specifically for the 1 per cent to wear on their winter vacations – literally, Cruise.
Yet while all the coverage of shows and trend analysis tends to be focused on New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks, it’s the Cruise collections that are the most profitable for the major maisons. The pieces from within Cruise collections typically make up 70 per cent of a designer’s annual output – and their profits – and usually remain in the shops, at full price, from November through June (while the Autumn collections run from August to December before being discounted…)
The importance of a successful Cruise collection, both financially and reputation-wise, cannot be understated. It’s perhaps why ever more exotic locations are bought into service as backdrops for these runway extravaganzas. For this Cruise season (which is also known as Resort, again harking back to that holiday mood…), Chanel decamped to Monte Carlo while Dior called on a troupe of flamenco dancers to showcase its collection in Seville. European city-breaks aside, Louis Vuitton switched entire continents as Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière opted for the mythology of Southern California, specifically The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, San Diego, as the show’s location.
Designed by Estonian-born American architect Louis Kahn, the modernist monoliths of The Salk Institute (where the polio vaccine was discovered) are a masterclass in brutalism and echo Ghesquière’s previous form in choosing equally significant giants of 20th century architecture as show venues. Oscar Niemeyer’s Niteroi Museum in Rio de Janeiro, John Lautner’s Bob Hope House in Palm Springs, I. M. Pei’s Miho Museum outside Kyoto, the abandoned TWA airport terminal at JFK – all of them retro-futuristic cantilevered constructions – have all provided a show space that echoes Ghesquière’s own predilection for sci-fi inspirations. And while the location ticked this retro-futuristic box, the clothes seemed equally as space age.
Of course a Creative Director responsible for a series of game-changing moments in fashion history such as Ghesquière (remember the clumpy platform boots from his tenure at Balenciaga for Autumn/Winter 2006, which changed our footwear choices for the next decade?) isn’t going to send his models out in anything as basic as jeans and T-shirts or a nice blazer, but this collection seemed to break new barriers in what clothing and garments could actually be.
The very first exit of a golden thread-encrusted dress spread out over an extended shoulder line and then reared up into rolls of fabric that hinted at a hood. The gown skimmed the floor, then built up over panniered hips into a silhouette that seemed to at once shroud and empower the wearer beneath. Cropped tops formed square-shaped battle armour while draped trousers atop leggings segued into scarves that wrapped around necks and over the models’ heads. Speaking of models, they all looked like they had walked straight off the set of Dune – although there was nothing remotely costumey about the collection. The rust, pewter and shingle-shaded palette reiterated that otherworldly mood, although these neutrals were spliced with spice, azure and citrus for extra edge. The entire collection felt tough, strong and ideal for battling everyday life on planet earth (as well as on other planets) particularly when teamed with the metallic running sneakers or cyber goth-style stomping boots (adorned with chains) that each look was accessorised with.
The other accessory of note – and a styling tip to recreate right now – was the use of long eyelet belts worn over bare skin and fastened tightly at the waist (while shorts or trousers below slipped down and sat on the hips beneath.) Wide scarves, too, swathed the body in a cross-bodice style, which is a trope that can easily be recreated at home as you wait for the real deal to arrive in stores…
Golden cargo pants, holographic silver baggy trousers and rose gold-toned culottes shimmered on the catwalk, accented by Lurex trims and tinsel-tassel details, but these molten fabrics looked galaxies away from anything as pedestrian as a prissy party look. The clothes echoed the shades of the metallic clutches and book-chain wallets that were presented towards the end of the show (and which will likely fly off the shelves of a Louis Vuitton store near you…)
A melding of space-age futurism with a tinge of medieval sensibility (those panniers, ruffs and hoods certainly felt historically inflected), Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2023 collection was a triumph that reiterated the bravery and brilliance of Ghesquière… Although as the designer took his bow, it was clear the star of the show was someone, something, beyond the frivolity of fashion. It was also beyond the orbit of the glittering celebrity attendees (Gemma Chan, Chloë Grace Moretz and Deepika Padukone were indeed glamorous guests.) Instead, the placement of the setting sun, perfectly framed by buildings as the flaming star dipped beneath the horizon and reflected over the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean beneath felt truly out of this world. Ghesquière himself admitted that the sun was the guest of honour and perhaps we would all do well to remember the power of the natural world in our fashion choices this year…
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s January 2023 issue.