Louis Vuitton staged a dazzling cinematic fashion production to cap Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, with a wall of around 200 human figures dressed in fashions that spanned human history.
Elizabethan ruffs glistened in the lights alongside medieval two-point hats, pantaloons, exaggerated wigs and crinolines on Tuesday at Louis Vuitton's fall collection in Paris.
Guests marveled, as the show began inside the Louvre's Cour Carree, to reveal a “wall” full of 200 people dressed in glimmering historic costumes, ranging from the 15th century to the 1950's.
Louis Vuitton collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Reuters
It was an arresting spectacle, especially when music sounded in a beautiful and stirring harmony.
The set, by Stanley Kubrick’s costume designer Milena Canonero, led the house to ask: “What if all of the innumerable eras that nourish fashion could come together?”
Yet despite the exorbitantly-priced set piece, and a few garments, the answer was thin. The journey through design history in this Ghesquiere showing was relatively limited and the runway seemed to explore different themes to those evoked by the set piece.
Louis Vuitton collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Reuters
Some historic-looking puff skirts with layers in gold gave certain looks a period air, as did bejeweled and embroidered jackets with a semi-circular lapel the historic musing was scant.
Louis Vuitton collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Reuters
But front row of stars, including Alicia Vikander, Lea Seydoux and Lupita Nyong'o, attested that this show was instead rooted firmly in the present.
On the runway, multicolored ski jackets followed pin-striped pants, loose silk knee-length dresses in sparkling tiger prints, black leather ankle boots with a geometric flash of color, and tailored plaid jackets with strong black lapels.
Louis Vuitton collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Reuters
Louis Vuitton collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Reuters
A model wears a creation for the Louis Vuitton fashion collection during Women's fashion week Fall/Winter 2020/21. Picture: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
The collection, albeit finely executed, was rather hard to pin down.