What’s in a zip? Or a bow or belt buckle? This is clearly the sartorial framework for which Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière explored in his Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
The fashion set is fixated with surrealism and a subversive, absurd mode of dressing and now, at the Cour Carrée, Ghesquière is showcasing how the 168-year-old luxury maison is reacting to fashion’s brave new world—one where illusion reigns supreme and the lines between virtual and physical blur.
Trompe-l’œil is clearly the trend du jour, though not new by any means, so for Ghesquière (who notoriously bucks convention) to embrace the aesthetic, this collection is enough for us to warrant this style’s magnitude.
At the heart of Louis Vuitton’s SS23 show is fun.
Playful volumes, unexpected textures and jubilous shapes make up the 47 looks, which despites it frisky aesthetic is entirely wearable.
The first ten ensembles in the collection explore Ghesquière’s fascination with the absurd.
Zippers, which are notoriously underrated, find themselves flung to the centre of the runway and serve as the motif that binds this high-octane collection together—apt considering the role they serve in design.
The opening look, modelled by house ambassador and bona fide It-girl HoYeon Jung, showcases a voluminous crop top amplified by pipped shouldering and a pleated mini skirt, both characterised by a supersized LV zipper.
This idea of supersizing is clearly the idée fixe of this collection. Perhaps Louis Vuitton are rebelling from the skin-clad silhouettes of seasons past that have only been exacerbated since the return of runway shows since COVID-19.
Later in the show, models don leather suits, marked with what appears to be an oversized belt. This is but an illusion, with the belt pattern printed onto the high-shine fabric. However, towards the end of the collection the belt becomes paramount to the show.
Crop tops are cut with a leather belt serving as the hem and A-line skirts are recontextualised as crop tops, with a belt the finishing touch to the garment.
The concept of “more is more” doesn’t always mean that bigger is indeed better, but here Ghesquière gets his proportions just right.
Pockets on dresses are oversized (enough to fit several Jacquemus Le Chiquito minis), with buckles and zips almost evoking a sense that we are Louis Vuitton’s very own Barbie dolls.
Of course, for a maison who started out as a leather goods company, we can’t overlook the accessories. Louis Vuitton bag tags triple in size to become this season’s latest object of affection.
Elsewhere, a Louis Vuitton provincial house is recontextualised into a trunk. But where there’s big, there must be small and this is seen by the mini LV twists and ultra adorable multicoloured top handle purse.
The one element Louis Vuitton didn’t compromise on and go small with was the star-studded guest list. Everyone from Jennifer Connelly, Sophie Turner, Emma Chamberlain, HAIM and our very own Milly Alcock and Samara Weaving sat on the front row to watch this jubilant collection.
As the saying goes, Nicholas Ghesquière could either go big or go home, and since this supersized Louis Vuitton collection marked the end of fashion month, we’re finally ready to call it a day.
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