Arts Issue
For Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2024 collection, the Maison docked on Isola Bella, a mysterious island. It is among the romantic mist that creatures that are as fascinating as they are elegant.
A mist permeates the atmosphere on Isola Bella, a mysterious island in the center of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. Here, the normal and the imaginary meet. A luxurious palace is surrounded by romantic gardens, which in turn are anchored in a lake surrounded by mountains. On this island that Edith Wharton described as a Renaissance poem, everything seems possible. A vision starts to form. Creatures of the lake, bewitched by the beauty of the palace gardens, appear magically. Nicolas Ghesquière brings this fantasy to life in Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2024 collection, presenting a runway show that feels like a distant dream. In the gardens of the Borromeo Palace, creatures that walk the line between the elegant and the chimerical appear. It is from the lake that Ghesquière's story begins. Coats, dresses, and miniskirts appear in scuba material as if the models had just emerged from the water.
The first guests in this intriguing procession have membranes at the ends, seen on both collars and the hems of short skirts. As the next visitors arrive, the aquatic takes on a baroque feel. Inspired by the gardens of the Borromeo palace, there are looks with intricate embroidery and patterns. Ghesquière openly reveals the collection's influences: "It's the mystery of the lakes that we imagine are filled with fantastic creatures." The French designer conceives the collection through an intriguing character, "a beautiful, mythical woman, she seduces men by placing jewels on the shores of the lake to lure them into the depths. But this time, she ventures ashore to connect with the local flora," says Ghesquière.
The progression from the "aquatic to the botanical" that inspired the designer becomes progressively apparent. Long romantic dresses are adorned with voluminous ruffles, constructed to mimic the delicate beauty of a flower. "The paradox of presenting a Cruise collection inspired by botany intrigued me," he says. Cruise collections emerged at the beginning of the 20th century to present clothing options for those seeking refuge from the seasonal cold in paradisiacal destinations. For Ghesquière, Isola Bella represents a botanical Eden: "Isola Bella is a story in itself. It calls for dreamlike reflections," he explains. The highlight of the collection is the dresses, which, despite the gravity, drape satin and colored organza over the models' bodies. But Ghesquière's prodigy at Louis Vuitton lies in combining the extraordinary with the practical. However supernatural the inspiration, the collection is anchored in our world.
Of course, for a Louis Vuitton collection, bags are one of the focal points. No matter how mythical the models are, in their hands, there is always an exquisite Louis Vuitton bag. A guarantee that the fashionable and the magical coexist in the world designed by Ghesquière. For the Cruise 2024 collection, the designer presented a kaleidoscopic selection of bags, starting with a new shade in the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram. Monogram Dune brings a refreshing light to the classic pattern. While embracing the new, the designer makes a point of revisiting the Maison's extensive legacy, reintroducing two famous styles: the Randonnée wallet and the Malletage pattern. The former is a sailor bag that is as practical as it is elegant, while the latter is a pattern replicating the functional straps inside traditional luggage. The revival of both is appropriate given the nautical aesthetic of the original Cruise collections, even if, for Ghesquière, the inspiration is not sailors, but the mermaids who lure them to a mysterious island.
Translated from the original in the Arts Issue, published November 2023. Full stories and credits in the print version.
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