Louis Vuitton

As the sun set dramatically into the Pacific Ocean—it was a strange, surreal meeting of bright cobalt sky and fiery amber rays—models paraded in perfect examples of Nicolas Ghesquière’s ingenious mix of inspirations. His obsession with everything sci-fi came through in the hits of metallics, reflective planes on bodices and accessories, as well as some oddly-familiar cross-band tanks, square bib tops, and organically-shaped 3D boleros. He revisited draping techniques from his own oeuvre, introducing brightly coloured graphic prints and tactile textures in desert hues. The boundary-pushing results left all in awe of their boldness and audacity. Ghesquière ruminated on what women would wear in the not-so-distant future—think Xanadu, Dune and Burning Man combined. It seemed only fitting that the show was staged at architect Louis Kahn’s Brutalist magnum opus, the Salk Institute, a biomedical research facility in San Diego. The first few opening looks were enough to indicate that everything was going to be otherworldly: Like high priestesses in ecclesiastical gowns walking down the travertine courtyard, models led the audience into Ghesquière’s alternate universe. Imaginative, playful and inventive, the show left us wondering if the world is ready for this much newness. Like Kahn’s masterpiece, which has been heralded as an icon of modern architecture reminiscent of the great monuments of the ancient world, Ghesquière’s vision for the Louis Vuitton cruise 2023 collection is a remarkable covergence of futuristic and archaic, medieval and millennial. — Windy Aulia