Louis Vuitton Fall 2104 .. Paris Collections

And so the moment has come and gone. Nicolas Ghesquiere has premiered is first collection for the mega brand Louis Vuitton for Fall 2014. The anticipation is over and the assessments, pandering and blind idolatry can begin in earnest. To me, one’s frame of reference is essential here as if you are a 30 something and have no knowledge of the history of fashion then I am guessing you will miss some vital comparisons. If you take this at face value, then you best very observant and should be flummoxed by what you saw. If you are of the fashion flock that drooled ion anticipation and thought that Ghesquiere is a god, well then, you have a new altar at which to worship. 

For me, this was just another show of hubris and non-fashion. Not being interested in backstory and inspirations there is very little here that I find impressive. All the hoopla that has surrounded this collection has never been about the clothes but about who designed the clothes as these are not clothes that are openly distributed. Another reason for the media attention is that the mother ship is a mega power house when it comes to holding the purse strings for advertising dollars. Lastly it is all this hype that really sells handbags, key fobs, another pair of shoes and another bottle of perfume.

Ghesquiere has always been a modernist with too much to say about what he designs as his clothes rarely are able to stand on their own without the blah blah blah. One can be absolutely positive that this outing will be no different than any of the others and as far as I can ascertain he just does what he wants with no concern about anything other than his ego and his whim. You must keep in mind here that the only DNA of this brand is a logo; there is no vocabulary unless it concerns leather goods and so the stage is ready to be set. Today was about patent leather that reminded me of the bonded variety of the 70s that peeled, and then there were all the zip front maillots in everything from croco to that pleathery looking stuff to leather. I am not quite sure about the blazers with the rifle patches as they looked far too normal so you can be sure there is a diatribe that accompanies those. As for his take on dresses, I can only say oopsie!!

Moving right along, what I can say on a positive note is that Mr. Ghesquiere is an adventurer when it comes to materials, combinations of materials, techniques and fabrication. I have never understood his esthetic but in the general scheme of things it doesn’t matter as Louis Vuitton will never be a brand that is reliant on clothes for major revenue; it is about all the trimmings. The clothes are just window dressing and a source of hype that cannot be gained by the main sources of income. Did I mention that the clothes look very 2 dimensional ... almost flat and here’s a bit of advice about single handled bags... They don’t work!

Bottom line is this…. If you are a fan, you will love it, if you are a realist in every sense, you will shake your head and if you are a panderer you have had a fashion orgasm by now ………… take your pick! I remain unimpressed and unsurprised.