LOUIS VUITTON: THE GRAND BALL OF TIME

Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of Louis Vuitton, presented the SS 2022 collection in the Passage Richelieu, at the Louvre, adorned for the occasion with dozens of antique chandeliers.

According to the maison tradition, the Passage Richelieu was used by Monsieur Louis Vuitton for his meetings with Empress EugΓ¨nie de Montijo, Napoleon III’s wife, to present her the suitcases made with light but resistant materials, made waterproof by a canvas called Gray Trianon, glued on the poplar structure.

And thanks to this golden intuition, the shapes were renewed, eliminating the curved and rounded ends of the luggage, becoming a hallmark of a certain aristocracy, thanks also to the figure of the Empress who translated it as an exclusive brand.

Starting from this historical anecdote, which reinforce even more the Heritage and the celebrations of the 200th birthday of the founder, Nicolas Ghesquière leads us to fantasize taking as a reference the imaginary figure of a vampire, who wears elements of the wardrobe of every era, from crinolines to lace shirts.

An invitation to the “Grand Ball” of Time that dissolves functions and codes, guiding us to a countdown, creating a vibrant flow of style, where day becomes night, and the humble uniform becomes sumptuous.

all images Giovanni Giannoni

A journey through time by Ghesquière, where a beaded bias-cut slip dress is paired with denim, or a jacket is shaped as if it had the proportions of a tailcoat. Or, even, a big cloak with polka dots and jaunty jabot, and another with diagonal cut.

This latest stylistic intuition of Nicolas GhesquiΓ¨re stems from the work he created for Alicia Vikander’s stage costumes for a series based on 1996 Olivier Assayas ‘s “Irma Vep”.

In short, a collection that looks like an exploration of past and recent dress codes, but freed from social norms, gender conventions and cultural conduct.

This collection confirms Nicolas Ghesquière as one of the most attentive designers of the moment, who puts creativity at the service of a company, but without selling it off.