Louis' got a brand new bag

Louis Vuitton's new designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere, unveiled his collection for next spring and summer to international acclaim at the bag-and-clothes-maker’s posh new museum in France in October, and last Friday Asia finally got a first-hand look at it, at the Sukhothai Residence Penthouse in Bangkok.

We had to do without the supermodels – the show was more like installation art – but at least, this way, the fashionistas were able to scrutinise the wares close up. They could even touch the high-quality materials while admiring the neat tailoring and other displays of excellent craftsmanship resting on 140 years of heritage, all blended with hi-tech techniques. 

A video of the fantastic fashion show itself was screened as part of the exhibition with the city skyline as a backdrop, 36 floors up.

The women’s line included four different “neo-vintage” outfits evoking memories from the 1950s to the ’70s yet still bearing Ghesquiere’s futuristic spin. 

A colourful, frilled mini-dress was matched with monogrammed ankle boots. A vividly ruby, beaded A-line dress looked great with burgundy knee-length boots of ostrich skin atop plastic pink heels. And a masculine navy suit-dress also paired gorgeously with ankle-length boots, this time sky-blue.

Keen to explore every possibility, Ghesquiere fashioned a shiny A-line mini-dress from strips of eel skin, retaining its rich texture and softness.

Perfectly cut trousers and jackets – Louis Vuitton’s new “instant classics” – were combined with full contrasting effect with charming crochet shifts, lacy blouses, bustiers and velvet trousers in ruby.

Timeless white, black and blue harmoniously met seasonal accents in red, yellow, emerald and khaki, with prints enriching the colour range. Multihued sticker prints added a touch of humour and flamboyant animal and flower wallpaper prints came alive in saturated red, green and turquoise.

Ghesquiere decided on leather as his new emblematic signature, seen most strikingly in the mini-dresses, skirts and biker jackets of eel and lamb. Topstitched denim, oversized zip heads and the leather trimming added a sharp edge.

Exhibited separately, the men’s collection drew heavily on the bright pinks of Jaipur in India. The line is more inventive and sportier than the usual offerings from LV, but bears the same distinctive military tailoring.

Louis Vuitton men’s-style director Kim Jones was indeed travelling in Rajasthan when he was taken aback by Jaipur, “the pink city”, and its breathtaking Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory, with gardens dating to the early 18th century.

Using classical Indian embellishments like embroidered mirror shards, Jones has reflectively adorned flight jackets in two-tone blue and an all-in-one military flight suit.

The patterns come from turban fabrics and other traditional Indian motifs. LV’s Karakoram motif plays in shocking pink, orange and blue on a range of herringbone variations in fine suit wool for peaked-lapel jackets and trousers with a slightly higher waist and long, straight leg. 

The outerwear was replete with refined leathers, military tailoring, silk and sophisticated technical fabrics. A trench coat in twill bore the LV signature, while an overcoat of dark silk had Indian military gold-sundial buttons.

The famous LV monogram was reversed on three new bags of tanned deer leather – a doctor bag, a soft weekend suitcase and a vertical tote with monogram straps and tags.

This season also brings a new V Bag collection. Made of light, supple, water-repellent leather, they are specially designed for modern urban nomads. There’s a multipurpose bag useful for all daily activities, from gym to the office. 

And the footwear strolls out of India too, both contemporary and precious, including alligator-leather sneakers in simple black or white.