Semi-Couture meets Gritty New York City

Boxy leather jackets, New York City skyline prints and st ewer dess short dresses. A beautifully conjured transatlantic mas h-up between Paris and New York

Nicolas Ghesquière gave a whole new meaning to airport style at his Cruise 2020 show in New York. Continuing the travel-centric legacy of Louis Vuitton, the creative director chose the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport to present his latest collection. Unlike other creative directors who select their Cruise destinations on location or cultural reference, Ghesquière picks his from the architectural masterpieces that inspire him.

Last year he selected the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-deVence and chose Bobe Hope’s iconic John Lautner-designed estate in Palm Springs for the second collection. The once abandoned Trans World Airlines terminal designed by the American-Finnish architect Eero Saarinen in 1962 was therefore suitably fitting for his latest Cruise extravaganza.

The mid-century modern building, which has recently been refurbished and set to re-open as a hotel, played host to 2,000 guests, including fashion editors, celebrities, musicians and stylists from across the globe. The terminal was transformed into a catwalk with red upholstered airport style seating, departures boards and 2,500

plants that were to be donated or turned into compost post-show.

Ghesquière drew on his own memories of landing in the terminal back in the 90s and played on the joy of leaving one location for another, returning back home richer in life and experience. “I was lucky enough to have landed at the TWA Flight Center in the late 90s. It was something I could never forget. This place was forgotten for 20 years and now has come back to life. It’s like a sanctuary that’s been revived and seeing it enchant anew in a different iteration, as a hotel, is a great pleasure. It’s about rediscovering an uncommon place that yet is a part of American heritage.”

The collection was truly fitting for the iconic landmark setting. Semi-couture constructed tops made a nod to New York City skyscrapers – the house’s first digital bag resembling the Chrysler building and even references of Wall Street uniforms that all felt very 80s and 90s. It was an artfully curated mash-up of fancy French fashion that met America’s big gritty city lights. Acid colours, dazzling brocade, punk leather jackets and puff-ball skirts told the story of the world’s most cinematic city and the continuing dialogue between Paris and New York.