Current:Home > ContactVuitton transforms Paris with a playful spectacle of color, stars and history -CapitalCourse
Vuitton transforms Paris with a playful spectacle of color, stars and history
View
Date:2025-04-15 12:51:21
PARIS (AP) — It was more than just another fashion show in the City of Lights. Louis Vuitton’s latest extravaganza on Paris’ most famous street, the avenue des Champs-Elysées, transformed an iconic 19th-century Art Nouveau space into an evolving artwork. As guests entered, they encountered an ephemeral installation — a vast, expanding balloon structure that melded with the walls. But as avant-garde as it was, the installation’s plastic, coupled with an autumnal heatwave, had some attendees likening it to a fashionable yet sweltering greenhouse.
The designs? A riot of colors, ludic patterns, and subtle riffs on harlequins. A visual feast that kept the eyes and iPhones flitting from one ensemble to the next.
Yet the decor and fashion might have met their match in star power. The luminaries of Hollywood — Zendaya, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Jaden Smith, and a host of others — converged, turning the venue into a veritable galaxy of celebrities. The heat outside mirrored the fervor inside, as Vuitton proved, once again, that in the world of fashion, it’s an unstoppable force.
Here are some highlights of Monday’s shows, including an interview with Stella McCartney:
A VUITTON VIGNETTE: WHEN PAST CLASHES WITH FUTURE
In a surreal wash of orange, Louis Vuitton’s showcase, under the deft hand of women’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, was a blend of epochs and emotions.
A burst of color, channeling the vibrancy of harlequins, took center stage. The striped high-waisted trousers and billowing yellow silk sleeves paid tribute to days of yore, while modern ski goggles reminded everyone of Ghesquière’s ever-present innovation.
The ’70s too had their moment. Striped shirts with open cuffs, reminiscent of this era, fused the delicate and free-spirited vibe against the hard, resolute feel of a box camera styled as a necklace. This distinct contrast — the soft meets the hard — exemplified Ghesquière’s talent for marrying contrasts.
Subtle nods, perhaps to stalwarts like Armani Privé couture, could be spotted, but the collection was unmistakably Vuitton. The embrace of a glossy black bodice contrasted with the airy freedom of a voluminous white skirt. Similarly, a gleaming miniskirt seemed to mix between rigidity and flow.
Yet, Ghesquière’s vibrancy sometimes edged toward the theatrical, seemingly sacrificing subtlety for statement. While his craftsmanship is undeniable, the balance between drama and understatement remains a tightrope he navigates.
All told, Ghesquière’s latest offering is a testament to skill in stitching together the past with the present.
ACTIVISTS TARGET LOUIS VUITTON DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK
Just before Louis Vuitton’s anticipated show, environmental activists from “Dernière Rénovation” sprayed the brand’s Champs-Elysées storefront with orange paint. Their aim? According to social media, to challenge the luxury brands of Paris Fashion Week and the wealthy attending the specific event. The activists’ shirts, bearing the message “their selfishness kills,” spoke to their cause. Amid this disruption, influencer Jeremstar protested for animal rights, only to be restrained by police. Despite these disturbances, the Vuitton event went ahead and the brand has not issued a response.
MARKETPLACE MAGIC: STELLA’S SUSTAINABLE SPRING SPLENDOR
It’s not every Monday that you’d see Robert Downey Jr, “Emily in Paris” starlet Ashley Park, and spotless fashion mogul Anna Wintour browsing a market. But then again, the Marché Saxe-Breteuil wasn’t just any market this week – it was Stella McCartney’s sustainability showcase, an ingenious stage for her Spring 2024 eco-collection.
The makeshift stalls were far from ordinary. One, a nod to her late mother, famed vegan advocate Linda McCartney, presented vegan marvels. Another proudly showcased the real seaweed – yes, seaweed – that went into crafting a striking 70s macrame dress. Inspired by her parents’ touring days, vintage Wings merch graphics found their way onto organic T-shirts. Guests basked in the October sun, sipping in the atmosphere as much as they did the sights.
This season’s McCartney designs? Think 70s eclectic thrift shop but make it chic. An ageless quality permeated, drawing inspiration not just from Stella’s design vault, but from the idea of borrowing the clothes of her iconic parents as a kid. It made for a sweet and loving fashion ode.
McCartney gave us sheeny shirts with historic white cape sleeves, neatly paired with shimmering crystal hot pants -- lead-free, of course. An oversized floral print on a draped toga dress seemed to capture the Beatles’ psychedelic era, almost transporting wearers to London’s Camden vintage shops.
The nostalgia was evident, but so was the sustainability narrative. Stella’s Sustainable Market showcased her dedication to innovative materials, complemented by English sculptor Andrew Logan’s artistry. McCartney’s show wasn’t just a fashion statement; it was a manifesto of where the future might head.
FROM SEAWEED TO RUNWAY: STELLA MCCARTNEY CHARTS A GREEN COURSE
“This season is 95% sustainable,” McCartney declared proudly by a faux market stand, marking her highest ever sustainability percentage on the runway.
Drawing inspiration from a personal vault, she said, “A lot of it was, I was looking at my mom and dad’s wardrobe.” This deep dive into her familial past wasn’t just a nostalgia trip. “Now my daughter steals from me,” McCartney noticed, highlighting the cyclical nature of fashion and how traditions ripple through generations.
But the showstopper? Seaweed. A groundbreaking fabric debut, as McCartney explained: “Seaweed ... So it’s insane. It’s the first ever time it’s been on a runway.” This seaweed innovation, crafted from the ocean’s kelp, morphed into a yarn that’s “100% pesticide-free, 100% no land use and 70% more sustainable than any cotton.”
Tongue firmly in cheek, McCartney dubbed the color of the season as “Green,” quickly clarifying, “There’s no green on a runway, but as an eco green.”
The show was more than garments on display; it was an education. With McCartney’s innovative sustainable market segment, attendees got a closer look at revolutionary materials, from wine waste – courtesy of fellow LVMH brand Veuve Clicquot -- to chic bags and, of course, seaweed making a sartorial splash.
veryGood! (898)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Tina Turner's Son Ike Jr. Arrested on Charges of Crack Cocaine Possession
- For the Second Time in Four Years, the Ninth Circuit Has Ordered the EPA to Set New Lead Paint and Dust Standards
- Tesla recalls nearly 363,000 cars with 'Full Self-Driving' to fix flaws in behavior
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Inside Clean Energy: Four Charts Tell the Story of the Post-Covid Energy Transition
- A U.S. Virgin Islands Oil Refinery Had Yet Another Accident. Residents Are Demanding Answers
- A New Program Like FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps Could Help the Nation Fight Climate Change and Transition to Renewable Energy
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Soccer Star Neymar Pens Public Apology to Pregnant Girlfriend Bruna Biancardi for His “Mistakes
Ranking
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Unwinding the wage-price spiral
- EPA to Send Investigators to Probe ‘Distressing’ Incidents at the Limetree Refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands
- A U.S. Virgin Islands Oil Refinery Had Yet Another Accident. Residents Are Demanding Answers
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- The U.S. could run out of cash to pay its bills between July and September
- High-paying jobs that don't need a college degree? Thousands of them sit empty
- Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte and Wife Kayla Welcome Baby No. 3
Recommendation
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
24 Bikinis for Big Boobs That Are Actually Supportive and Stylish for Cup Sizes From D Through M
A Chinese Chemical Company Captures and Reuses 6,000 Tons of a Super-Polluting Greenhouse Gas
Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes opens up about being the villain in NFL games
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Inside Clean Energy: Net Zero by 2050 Has Quickly Become the New Normal for the Largest U.S. Utilities
The IRS now says most state relief checks last year are not subject to federal taxes
For the First Time, Nations Band Together in a Move Toward Ending Plastics Pollution