About 400 meters off the coast of Stresa, on the small Isola Bella that belongs to the Borromoean Islands, Nicolas Ghesquière has displayed his magic this Wednesday to present the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2024 collection. The rain has not given the French couturier any respite, who has been forced to reduce the great event that he had prepared in the gardens of this exclusive island, and its welcoming Italian town, inside the Palace that presides over it: Palazzo Borromeo. The show, however, has been a dream tale with a taste of the sea.
A boat trip to the exclusive island evokes guests on the red carpet at festivals like the one in Venice. Arriving inside the Palazzo the frenzy begins. The crowd walks through its labyrinthine corridors to the sound of a string quartet settled at the top of the steps. As the guests take their seats, familiar faces begin to emerge from the crowd. An elegant and very quiet Jennifer Connelly allows herself to be photographed smiling, already sitting in the front row, next to Alicia Vikander, dressed in a sophisticated leather and fur design from the latest Louis Vuitton spring/summer collection. A few meters from her, Kate Blanchett appears, running to sit next to Emma Stone and trying to avoid the cameras as she passes by.
But with the first model that appears on the scene calm comes. Among the Baroque art of the Palazzo, the collection has taken a more majestic, almost aristocratic course, despite being inspired by a natural and maritime landscape. It radically contrasts the uniform of a nomadic warrior, the rigidity of the Jacquard and the rigid structures of the cruise collection of the previous year with the fluid, vibrant and colorful line that comes for 2024.
Embedded in pants, voluminous skirts and camisoles, sequins appear as the scaly skin of divine creatures that emerge from the depths and characters such as Medusa and merman come to life through spectacular glittering helmets, feathers and metallic masks.
This idea of ​​mixing fantasy with reality, the morphology of sea creatures with human features, is presented in the collection through silky and transparent fabrics, such as a translucent skirt covered in pearls or a flowing mini dress that floats with the rapid pace of the sea. model. But also, and above all, with nylon as the main material of this line. It is surprising to see the Speedy or the Alma bag, the firm’s classic models, lined with this elastic and waterproof material. A masterful twist that places the firm’s most iconic bags at the forefront of luxury.
The final climax of this line has been provided by party dresses. Majestic, long and wavy like waves that twist as they break on the shore, the evening dresses are dyed in this collection in pastel pink, aqua green, a hypnotic orange and of course blue.
A small ovation starts from the front row seats with the passing of an androgynous model dressed in a transparent dress with silver sequins and pants in the same shiny fabric. Surprising, being innovative and pleasing at the same time is today a very difficult task on the catwalk and much more to create a reaction from the public in the middle of a show. Ghesquière has certainly achieved this despite the circumstances surrounding the event.
The real ovation comes when the designer comes on stage to say hello but he has barely advanced a few meters when two bouncers rush out after him. Actually they are looking for a guest, Oprah Winfrey, who after hearing the news of Tina Turner’s death has been shocked.
