"The Musée d'Orsay, with its bold collection and avant-garde architecture, resonates with me in many ways. It is one of the most emblematic cultural meccas in Paris, from iconic clocks and avant-garde technologies such as photography to paintings by modern masters, demonstrating its fundamental philosophy of innovation at its core. Louis Vuitton womenswear artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière said during the Fall/Winter 2022 womenswear launch a year ago.
Now, a year later, Ghesquière once again chose to set Louis Vuitton's new womenswear collection here, decided to interact with this museum that combines classical and modern connotation, and invited contemporary French artist Philippe Parreno to participate. Parreno's artistic practice spans film, installation, performance, painting and text, and he specializes in viewing the exhibition space as a whole, mobilizing sound, light and installation to construct immersive experiences.
At Louis Vuitton's Fall/Winter 2023 womenswear runway, Parreno, art director James Chinlund and composer Nicolas Becker teamed up to "curate" a wonderful space under the dome of the Musée d'Orsay, answering the question "What is French style?" This elusive but intriguing question.
When the show officially opened, spotlights around the podium lit up along with the crystal chandeliers hanging from the museum's dome, black matte rivet decorations in the background panel juxtaposed with elegant gold lacquer patterns on the walls of the exhibition hall, and a catwalk simulating the masonry path after the rain in Paris was erected on the retro wooden floor.
Similarly, blending bold and traditional perspectives, the collection is based on many contradictory elements, and Ghesquière continues to push the boundaries of materials, silhouettes and dress rules. The opening outfits set the tone of the show with clarity and precision: the modern suit cut and silhouette were given balloon sleeves in classical clothing culture, the pleats of the fluffy skirt common in the Rococo period appeared at every edge from the coat to the trousers, and even directly pleated with striped suit fabric to create a wrong visual effect.
The sheer dress that followed was intended to rewrite the definition of simplicity and luxury. From a distance, metal studs of various sizes shimmer and flow on the skin like bubbles in champagne, and the hollow details seem to outline seductive animal patterns; Up close, the slightly worn texture of these beads and the jagged raw edges around the hollows seem to have been printed from the cobbled pavement on the side of Paris.
Interpretive contrast has always been Ghesquière's specialty, and this is particularly evident in the collision of silhouette and fabric. Large areas of tweed and knitting appear on three-dimensional cocktail dresses, asymmetrical wool material slim gowns with loose stacked casual knits, silhouette coat cuffs and bandeau skirt armpits dramatically combined, these intentional contrasts bring unexpected and wonderful experiences.
The silk slip dress, which should have been smooth and smooth, was also "pretended" draped with the stripes and checks of the suit world, and was reshaped into a silhouette line as straight as the suit pants, on the contrary, the suit shape became softer than ever before with the blessing of wool and puff, and the trouser line disappeared, replaced by the curved cuffs that danced with the steps.
Of course, Ghesquière will not forget to show off the source of clothing production - the fit, the seemingly unfinished parts, some from the front of the suit vest, some abstract depicting the general outline of the Louis XIII neck, and the oversized disco collar decorated with chains, all add a bit of playfulness to the original simple and elegant dark pattern dresses and shirt dresses.
Since the purpose of this show is to answer "What is French style?" In Ghesquière's view, these elements do not belong to a specific scene and system, just as in the teaser video before the show, the blue, white and red Louis Vuitton flag symbolizing the color of the French flag hangs under the exquisite glass canopy and metal structure of the Musée d'Orsay, organically combining France's past and present.
Ghesquière's use of blue, white and red in his designs is unobtrusive but the finishing touch, from the check patterns on handbags to the musical instrument patterns in the woven sweaters to the racing-style leather panels, which leads to another symbol of French culture - racing cars, Paris is the site of the first official motor racing race in history (1887), and thanks to the prosperity of motorsport, the International Motorsport Federation was founded here in the early 20th century. The headquarters is still located in the Place de la Concorde, Paris.
The exquisite embroidery that passed down from the French court is also reflected in the modern dress code, and the intricate sequins and beads that were once used to decorate the edges of skirts were moved up to the chest and neckline by Ghesquière. He removed the huge skirt support in historical documents, leaving only the outermost embroidery seal, which was restored to a flesh-colored skirt similar to a petticoat. The delicate jacquard on the velor fabric gives a glimpse of the exquisite home textiles of the Louis XIV era.
Ghesquière's history continues and experiments with various fusion possibilities, and behind these dazzling and mysterious patterns and craftsmanship, there is also a lot of French fashion culture. Paisley prints were brought back to France by Napoleon on an expedition in the mid-18th century, and the craze spread from Paris to European high society; The neat and delicate French lace pattern is attributed to the "Royal Lace Factory" established in mainland France during the Louis XIV period; The extra-long neckline studded with rhinestones echoes the disco trend of the '70s; And those fabrics, intertwined with gold and silver threads and precious stone colors, are undoubtedly new discoveries in Ghesquière's French historical archives, obscuring their sense of age and bringing their ancient and heavy aesthetic to the modern wardrobe.
It is worth mentioning several luminous glasses that cannot be ignored on the runway, which illuminate the future in a group of designs that look back at historical inspiration and stop at reality.
Heartbeats, birdsongs, ensembles of musical instruments, ambulances, rain, ringing phones... Unlike the rhythmic soundtrack of previous seasons, composer Nicolas Becker created a series of sound effects derived from everyday street scenes, and even "noise" in the mundane sense for this show, which not only seamlessly matches Philippe Parreno's masonry effect floor, but may also hint at Ghesquière's inner desire to wear it through the streets.
In addition to the amazing creative ideas that weave back and forth on the runway, Ghesquière is also looking at more realistic and realistic designs this season, with textured cashmere coats, velvet suits, sweaters and knitted skirts with slightly loose silhouettes, and long scarves around the model's neck.
Even though the deconstruction of racing suit and gown is nothing new in Ghesquière's previous career, the reappearance in the Fall 2023 collection is still impressive, and the overall situation becomes smoother and calmer. Futuristic, streamlined designs and fine fabrics stitch together to create a near-perfect fashion form, making it a style that people dare to try and wear on the street.
At the same time, he also cleverly integrates Louis Vuitton's luggage tradition into the design of the ready-to-wear collection, and gives it real functionality, the concave and convex texture of the leather trench coat can be found in the Epi leather in the brand's luggage products, and the leather hemming treatment on the shoulders of the coat simulates the edge of the hard box, which can also reduce the wear and tear of the garment during wearing.
In terms of practicality, Nicolas Ghesquière made an immediate shift this season, with serious texts no longer pitted against avant-garde ideas, but instead integrated into women's wardrobes in a soft and pleasing way. Remember what he said to the media after his Louis Vuitton debut, "I often listen to the girls in the studio and the women around me say what they want and what they need. "Now, Nicolas Ghesquière is in her tenth year at the helm of Louis Vuitton's womenswear creative department, not only meeting the needs that echoed in our ears, but also exceeding our expectations.
Written by: Shanlai
Edited by Yang Yi
Design: Xiao B