Towering over the verdant foliage of the Jardin D'Acclimatation in Paris, the brand new, Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton is monumental, seemingly buoyant - arching skywards in a tranquil sweep of bright, steel sails. It took 3,600 glass panels, according to the hollow, Dune-inspired welcome video, a figure akin to the myriad techniques that Nicolas Ghesquière finessed together in his third collection for Louis Vuitton, shown in that yet unfinished building in a temporary, dark mirrored labyrinth. The trim and pointy A-line silhouette that he spearheaded for fall (and softened considerably with Monaco's resort show) returned here, its driving force a jarring experiment in violent colour twists and a textural melee of primal and futuristic textiles from stripped eelskin to crushed velvet and overstitched denim. Ghesquière's purified Vuitton girl took on virginal airs for spring, his 'romantic jersey' dresses and blouses clashing with patchwork boots, as 'pointelle' knits were worn over flouncing wrap skirts that seemed ribbed, pleated, smocked and woven all at once. Later his fragile muses fell from grace, as they shrugged into the glossy separates in that striped eelskin, or zipped on his sticker-print white denim, with its unsettling taste of Memphis kitsch.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
-
‘There are hidden things out there, we just need to look’: Studiomama's stone animals have quirky charmStudiomama founder's Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama sieve the sands of Kent hunting down playful animal shaped stones for their latest collection
-
Tokyo firm Built By Legends gives fresh life to a performance icon, Nissan’s R34 GT-RThis Japanese restomod brings upgrades and enhancements to the Nissan R34 GT-R, ensuring the cult of the Skyline stays forever renewed
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from A/W 2022 menswear showsA Kubrickian space odyssey at Prada; a recreation of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris at Dior; and colourful, artist-created flags at Loewe: explore the best runway sets from the A/W 2022 menswear shows
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2022: Louis Vuitton to Loewe, Dior to HermèsIn this extended report, Laura Hawkins reveals 9 highlights from Paris Fashion Week Men's A/W 2022. Including: Virgil Abloh's final collection for Louis Vuitton; Rick Owen's riff on sleaze; elfin-inspired accessories; and a celebration of slouch and surrealism
-
Louis Vuitton pays tribute to Virgil Abloh in MiamiThe French luxury maison – of which the late Virgil Abloh was men’s artistic director until his passing on Sunday 28 November 2021 – held a show in Miami in tribute to the creative innovator, titled ‘Virgil was Here’
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2021: discotheque chic to apres-ski sleek -
Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
