All about unusual structures and fancy forms.
Nicolas Ghesquière’s current collection is an outstanding show of everything he’s good at — modern fashion, sharp tailoring, futuristic references, touches of je ne sais quoi French flair…
Presented at Cour Carrée du Louvre, a quandrangle space adjacent to the Lourve’s main Pyramid entrance, the French maison built a state-of-the-art polygonal-shaped tunnel, which doubled as showspace and runway rolled into one.
The idea of an uber modern, Spage Age structure right in the middle of the Lourve’s ancient courtyard served as a sweet analogy to Ghesquière’s design ethos in itself. The 47-year old designer’s creative approach for the 165-year old maison has always been a smorgasbord of bridging the past with the present. This artistic direction is, of course, filtered down to every collection’s accessories range too.
This season’s bag collection is, as with the seasons that have come before, a case of boasting classicism with an unexpected twist. In fact, Ghesquière has become such a pro at this, there’s simply no telling what he’s got up his sleeves in terms of remodelling the new classics he himself has introduced. Case in point: The Petite Malle.
Back To The Future
Ghesquière’s ready-to-wear collection saw a fair share of Eighties themes from oversized, rounded shoulders to leg-O-mutton sleeves and the return of colourful Memphis prints.
The latter was explored as a fancy and eye-catching motif for a brand new design called the Trapeze bag, which itself was a unique construction of geometric triangles and you guessed it, trapeze shapes.
The inspiration for the Trapeze bag is the Pochette Trapèze which made its debut in 1988 as an upside-down trapeze-shaped clutch in Epi leather. The Louis Vuitton Sac Tricot is also credited as inspo for the Trapeze. Like the latter newbie, it has a stiff A-line structure although fashioned as a longish oblong top-handle bag instead.
The star feature of the Trapeze bag is its metal clasp, borrowed from brand’s iconic Malle (trunk) and the Petite Malle (of course) too. The bag features a stylish chain sling that adds to its feminine shoulder bag appeal, and is offered in soft, pastel hues of greys and pistachio colours accentuated by the luxurious mix of Taiga (a grainy leather) and smooth calfskin.
Making-of: Trapeze bag
The other standout style from the collection — of borrowed design features from the Louis Vuttion Malle range — is the Mini Luggage. In keeping with the spirit of travel, the bag comes with a stiff top handle, similar to those found on vintage cosmetic cases.
Available in mainly two permutations of Monogram canvas with leather, the Mini Luggage takes a skilled artisan 7-8 hours to complete. Fans of the brand’s traditional Monogram canvas bags will gravitate towards the style that comes with VVN (Vache Végétal Natural: the pale beige leather used with most of the brand’s Monogram canvas bags) leather trims and panels, while those seeking something a little more deluxe can opt for the version in navy blue smooth leather with tanned leather edges and Reverse Monogram trimmings.
There were also exotic leather options of the Mini Luggage as seen on the runway, one of which came in white snakeskin with a decorative purple floral print.
Making-of: Mini Luggage
More On Sacs Appeal
Some of the other bags that stole the show, with all of their Sci-Fi leanings…
All images courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
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