Despite what these images portray, the Louis Vuitton cruise 2024 womenswear runway show was actually shown to attendees in a different setting. The images as well as the video of the runway show were shot prior to the live show—and thankfully so. What would’ve ended up being an outdoor show had to be moved indoors due to the rain.
Now, it would’ve made for quite a fitting runway show if it the weather was kinder like what happened at Dior, especially given the mermaid-like references artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière drew upon. But alas, it was a bit more than a drizzle.
It didn’t dampen the brilliance of the collection however. As a fashion designer, Ghesquière’s at his best when he references period fashion and then combining them with more contemporary influences to create something unexpected and, dare I say, fresh. That’s exactly what occured for Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2024 collection. The Baroque inflections—the private island is known for some of the finest examples of Italian Baroque style—were subtle and woven quite seamlessly with the fantasy of the collection’s lake creature muse.
Contrast-shoulder robes (looks 11 and 12) exemplified the regal elegance that permeated throughout the collection. Constructed with voluminous sleeves and rendered in lightweight fabrications (when in movement, they appeared like waving sails), they were paired contrastingly with sporty bodysuits made of a scuba material that was a key element used throughout. On a number of looks, the scuba material were decorated with prints of ocean waves and landscapes and trimmed with frills—looks 4 and 5 made the models look as though they were aquatic creatures adapting to life on land.
Beautiful jacquards took on signature Ghesquière-outré shapes as tops and jackets that appeared to restrict as well as morph the silhouette of the body. And while these may have seemed to be a tad too stately in some cases, they were grounded by casual ready-to-wear pieces the likes of the aforementioned scuba bodysuits as well as joggers. Ghesquière rarely ever sticks to a singular element anyways.
There were hardly anything formal or precious about the footwear too. Sneakers and boots were rife, with the former available in three iterations—a low-cut, a high-cut lace-up, as well as a zipped high-cut—that were all reminiscent of scuba shoes.
What’s notable was the closing parade of gowns that we hardly see from the artistic director. Each featured elements of Baroque with exaggerated sleeves, frills, and ruched details, and were all hemmed with crinoline for added dramatic flounce and structure. It may be too late given how the film has already premiered, but it’s not difficult to imagine look 47 on Halle Bailey for the Little Mermaid red carpet—what a sight it would’ve been.
View the full Louis Vuitton cruise 2024 womenswear collection in the gallery below.
