Just near the village of Saint-Paul de Vence, France, Louis Vuitton premiered the Cruise 2019 collection on the grounds of the Maeght Foundation, an architectural marvel designed by Josep Lluís Sert. Founded by husband and wife Aimé and Marguerite Maeght in 1946, the modernist space features collaborations with artists like Joan Míro, Alexander Calder, Fernand Leger, Georges Braque, Alberto Giacometti, Marc Chagall, and Eduardo Chillida. It set the perfect tone for the collection, which moved outside of the fashion house’s usual codes.
“I’ve known this place for twenty-five years and I love coming here regularly. It has a beautiful family history, a particular story about passionate gallerists who, along with all the artists for whom they were both friends and patrons, invented an extraordinary place for artistic dialogue. You can see in these enduring works all their complicity and artistic flow. It’s an intelligent, beautiful site. A place that has spirit, installations have a special rapport with nature and the seasons,” said Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
For Cruise 2019, Ghesquière brought together a feel from the previous century with present day styles in loose silhouettes and boxy, avant-garde cuts, seen in garments like the new take on a white tuxedo jacket and a rendition of a plaid skirt complete with angular folds and ties. For the show over the weekend, models made their way through a Joan Miró Labyrinth in step to a soundtrack by French musician, Woodkid, featuring Jennifer Connelly reading aloud from Grace Coddington’s memoir. Earlier, Woodkid performed in the Giacometti courtyard, using instruments invented by François and Bernard Baschet, known in the 1950s for their acoustic experiments using glass and metal forms.
The show soundtrack’s nod to Coddington coincided with a cuddly capsule collection of accessories designed by the writer and editor (due in stores in October). “My collaboration with Nicolas and his team at Louis Vuitton has been so much fun. I hope it will be a dream come true for Pumpkin, Blanket and Nicolas’ dog—it certainly is for me. It started with our love for animals, it’s where Nicolas and I really connect beyond fashion,” said Coddington.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
