Louis Vuitton SS27: Nicolas Ghesquière closes Paris Fashion Week with futuristic lightness
Paris - Louis Vuitton closed the women's ready-to-wear spring/summer 2027 show season in Paris on Tuesday. The collection featured a note of lightness in its fabrics and a resolutely futuristic outlook. This marked the end of a month-long marathon that began in New York and passed through London and Milan.
Weaving between a row of retro-futuristic shuttles placed on the ground as if inert, models strode briskly through the Cour Carrée of the Louvre. They walked under the watchful eyes of actresses Zendaya, Emma Stone, Catherine Deneuve and Jennifer Connelly.
The first silhouettes launched the aeronautical show, shod in loafers, the shoe of the season. They featured composite dresses made of mesh and fabric as light as cigarette paper.
The palette was grey, silver and yellow, reminiscent of a landing strip. Monogrammed aviator jackets completed the thematic unity.
In a more conventional vein, straight-cut sixties-style dresses followed, adorned with reflective paper diamonds that fluttered in the wind.
“Nothing is rigid, everything is fluid, like a second skin that reveals physicality in motion. Designed for action, these pieces are born from instinct. They also serve as a reminder that the body is made to move,” wrote Nicolas Ghesquière in the show notes for the collection, which he named “Ergonomics”.
When questioned afterwards, the designer explained that he worked with ongoing climate change in mind. He aimed for an almost "scale-like" precision to make the fabric "a second skin, as light as possible".
In line with this theme of lightness, the bags have also shrunk, potentially providing an entry point for a wider clientele.
While its direct competitors, Chanel and Dior, are benefiting from the novelty effect created by the arrival of Matthieu Blazy and Jonathan Anderson, Louis Vuitton is playing the stability card. It does so with French designer Nicolas Ghesquière, 55, who has embodied the brand for nearly 13 years, despite occasional rumours of his departure.
He is notably responsible for creating signature pieces such as the Petite Malle and the Twist bag.
Under his direction, the brand has gained visibility and popularity. However, LVMH does not publish separate figures for the house.