Soft power? Nicolas Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton knows all about that. Challenging himself to explore softness and fluidity he came up with a stand-out collection. In an ingenious creative skill-swap, Ghesquière asked the flou atelier (which makes soft pieces) to work on the tailoring and the tailoring atelier to work on dresses. “We thought it would be very interesting to break boundaries and to trying to define architecture in fluidity, strength in airiness, and how you can evoke this powerful silhouette, but in movement,” he told WWD before the show. The results? A light, supple, fluid collection full of experimental flourishes, but rendered effortless with his new softly-softly approach. It was recognisably LV but with a fresh perspective on everything, which brought an energy that was palpable. The models walked on a Jenga-like catwalk, made with  of more than 1,000 trunks, which was hydraulically raised at the beginning of the show.  

“Time clash” is how the designer describes his practice of remixing fashion from different eras into something new. The renaissance is of particular interest to him. He describes the era as the time when fashion, as we understand it, came into being as courtiers competed to distinguish themselves with clothes. Much like today’s luxury customers, they craved opulence and newness. Ghesquière served it. Renaissance-inspired jackets with generous sleeves and peplums were blouse-like in their lightness and worn with cycling shorts and sandals whose straps were lifted from the handles of trunks. Pirate trousers were layered under gathered georgette dresses and sweeping capes. Some pieces were made from a complex collage of materials – tweed, lace, embroidery, crystals and bejewelled appliqués – a modern interpretation of renaissance finery. The craft work was dazzling. The bags followed suit with soft versions of iconic styles like the Petit Malle to easy on the eyes soft satchel styles and capacious totes. It all looked light, luxe and beautifully tactile.

The show ended with a series of three jackets printed with paintings by the artist Laurent Grasso from his series Studies Into the Past, which insert alien elements into renaissance landscapes. LV collectors will clamour for them. Indeed, this Louis Vuitton collection is one for the history books with Ghesquière at his groundbreaking best.

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