Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 Barcelona

[LANZO_358]

Apart from the utterly grotesque jodhpurs/capri pants and some of the balloon skirts bit, I really could see a few of these being worn separately with more digestible (i.e. regular) ready to wear pieces in everyday life, like a nice pair of jeans, T-shirts, etc. Or even as full looks, but with much better footwear choices.

But omg, that he chooses to further complicate his abstruse designs (taste?) with such jarring styling beats me.

One shouldn’t have to squint so hard in an attempt to identify beauty. In nature, for example, beauty just exists. This entire collection felt like a compromise with my mind: “ooh this looks good - ewww that’s ugly,” sort of thing. Which leaves you more tired than inspired at the end.

 

[Lola701]

Thank You for posting these @Lola701 ! It was so nostalgic to see him in the studio. I wonder if that team still works, or worked, with him at Vuitton. I spotted Natacha in one of the videos!

No a lot of people left or weren’t even a part of Balenciaga. Bouchra Jarrar was the first to leave. Sébastien Peigne left too to do Mugler back in the day. Barnabé Hardy also at some point. He started his own brand and then became Isabel Marant’s head of menswear. Charlotte Chesnais stayed until the end before launching her own brand (and she designs bags at APC i believe).

But one guard was replaced by another. That’s how Dossena became part of the team and things like that but really Natacha, Julien Dossena, Florent Buonomano, MAS are the core group that always stayed. Even at Vuitton his team has changed quite a bit since the early days.

Idk, NG has always been my fav designer, but I think his work at LV is quite bad. I think he doesn’t care about fashion anymore, he’s a millionaire now and I feel that when you get more money and you get older, the passion fades away and you don’t have the same energy for it (not always). I think he is happier in St Barths than in the studio, with his influencer boyfriends, etc. I feel that the nerd he was at Balenciaga disappeared, which is fair, but I miss it.

I actually think that it’s the contrary.
While it’s understandable that someone at 50 doesn’t have the same passion he had at 25, I think that now more than ever, he is having fun. He doesn’t have to prove himself anymore. He has proved that he can have an influence on fashion, that he can sell, so now there’s a willingness to try and to push.

But it’s maybe me. I don’t miss the past. I don’t miss Nicolas at Balenciaga. In general I don’t miss designers being an old version of themselves…There’s YouTube for that lol.

I think sometimes MAS and him goes too far when it comes to styling but I’m always surprised by how quick the eyes eases to that.

One of my favorite shows is the show at the Louvre with the Daft Punk soundtrack. I prefer that collection to some of his more digestible ones of the early days.
The 1970’s/Art Nouveau and the Pompidou/Gaultier ones are very well styled collections but I don’t have the feeling they left a particular mark on people either.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Collections like these are a bit novelty-for-the-sake-of-novelty - Good for the runway and maybe for their brand ambassadors to wear to an event, but it doesn't reflect the RTW that's hanging in the stores - The Shanghai collection's pieces were mostly edited versions of those seen on the runway. I want to see runway shows that clearly represent what ends up in the stores, not watered-down commercial clothes that borrow a design detail plastered on basic dress or skirt shapes! Clothes that represent a happy marriage of wearability, intricacy and timelessness. The idea that more wild and eclectic clothes would provide their designer more joy during the design process doesn't seem plausible to me - More that there's less interest in designing clothes that fit into the reality of people.

 

[Lola701]

Collections like these are a bit novelty-for-the-sake-of-novelty - Good for the runway and maybe for their brand ambassadors to wear to an event, but it doesn't reflect the RTW that's hanging in the stores - The Shanghai collection's pieces were mostly edited versions of those seen on the runway. I want to see runway shows that clearly represent what ends up in the stores, not watered-down commercial clothes that borrow a design detail plastered on basic dress or skirt shapes! Clothes that represent a happy marriage of wearability, intricacy and timelessness. The idea that more wild and eclectic clothes would provide their designer more joy during the design process doesn't seem plausible to me - More that there's less interest in designing clothes that fit into the reality of people.

The Shanghai show has not fully landed in stores. It’s barely early arrivals until late June. You can’t base your opinion on one drop on the website…

I think Vuitton produces more of their RTW than Prada for example.

When I go to Vuitton shops, I don’t have the feeling that what is shown on the runway is drastically different from what is in stores. And each times I have attended the shows, the clients who had the money for exclusives runway pieces showed up wearing them…

 

[imjustken]

One of my favorite shows is the show at the Louvre with the Daft Punk soundtrack. I prefer that collection to some of his more digestible ones of the early days.

THAT COLLECTION !! I was about to bring it up ! I hated it when it came out ! Hated it ! OMG, I remember thinking 'What the hell is he doing now ? It's fugly !' I hope it sold like crazy ... Because it looked CRAZY ! With those second-hand looking fabrics. I still have nightmares about that Vuitton print. I loved the story he told about the Roman Goddesses but what the hell were those shoes ? Sandals ... ? With socks ... ? Pardon ?!

The idea that more wild and eclectic clothes would provide their designer more joy during the design process doesn't seem plausible to me - More that there's less interest in designing clothes that fit into the reality of people.

You're definitely getting somewhere with this.

While it’s understandable that someone at 50 doesn’t have the same passion he had at 25, I think that now more than ever, he is having fun. He doesn’t have to prove himself anymore. He has proved that he can have an influence on fashion, that he can sell, so now there’s a willingness to try and to push.

If before he was trying to sell and now he's trying to express, I feel betrayed, I feel bamboozled. I feel like I got played, like a moron.

Nicolas, if you're reading this, just say it was all just menswear, it was all stuff you'd like to wear yourself and it will all be forgiven.

 

[Urban Stylin]

It's at the Park Güell, correct?
Is that the same venue as America's Next Top Model Cycle 7 Final Runway?

hahaha thanks for posting this! I always thought Caridee and Melsore were the same person. In all fairness ANTM had some epic runway finale locations though the dramatics, lights and strange angles turned them into something. As for the collection the first looks had a Claude Montana vibe to them they looked like walking Claude Montana sketches which in turn made them look like today's Balmain. But I loved the neutral against that shimmer in the sunglasses and shoes. The puffy skirts and dresses are giving y2k

 

[MagFan]

That look on Mona reminds me of McQueen rose dresses. Is the one who was responsible for them moved from Burtons team to Vuitton and draped half of this collection?

 

[tricotineacetat]

The Shanghai show has not fully landed in stores. It’s barely early arrivals until late June. You can’t base your opinion on one drop on the website…

I think Vuitton produces more of their RTW than Prada for example.

When I go to Vuitton shops, I don’t have the feeling that what is shown on the runway is drastically different from what is in stores. And each times I have attended the shows, the clients who had the money for exclusives runway pieces showed up wearing them…

But that's the thing - the more directional pieces are reserved either for private order or for the most prestigious flagship stores, perhaps 1 or 2 pieces, in the most common sizes.

It's a problem I have at large with RTW runway shows by most of the big houses, they are becoming more and more what couture used to be like in the past. What that results in are clothes that you can put on a brand ambassador during fashion week but that make the average fashion enthusiast appear like a fashion victim. What I loved about Nicolas' heydays at Balenciaga compared to these clothes is how nonchalant and easy his women could wear the clothes. Emmanuelle Alt, Joana Preiss or Charlotte Gainsbourg looked relatable and aspirable to most women when they were seen wearing Balenciaga. Compared to that, the majority of what we're seeing here is not very accessible. They are contrived clothes for people who like to make a statement about having a more 'advanced' style than others.

 

[Lola701]

But that's the thing - the more directional pieces are reserved either for private order or for the most prestigious flagship stores, perhaps 1 or 2 pieces, in the most common sizes.

It's a problem I have at large with RTW runway shows by most of the big houses, they are becoming more and more what couture used to be like in the past. What that results in are clothes that you can put on a brand ambassador during fashion week but that make the average fashion enthusiast appear like a fashion victim. What I loved about Nicolas' heydays at Balenciaga compared to these clothes is how nonchalant and easy his women could wear the clothes. Emmanuelle Alt, Joana Preiss or Charlotte Gainsbourg looked relatable and aspirable to most women when they were seen wearing Balenciaga. Compared to that, the majority of what we're seeing here is not very accessible. They are contrived clothes for people who like to make a statement about having a more 'advanced' style than others.

But at Balenciaga it was somehow the same. And Balenciaga was a fashion house, not a luxury goods maison that does fashion…

A lot of what Nicolas Ghesquiere did for the runway was produced in limited quantities (for the scale of the brand) and backed by a more commercial offering that was the infamous « capsules », on top of the commercial versions of the show.

And the runway stuff was Couture like, so insanely expensive that except for friends of the house (editors included), you rarely saw people with the pieces irl. I loved the FW2011 collection but apart from the very rich die-hard fans, except for the knitwear and the key pieces, people weren’t rushing to the stores because the collection was fabulous!

Part of the reason I don’t compare his work now to Balenciaga is because I totally understand that the scale and the purpose is not the same. And people consume differently from a fashion house than from a luxury house.

It’s maybe because Vuitton is not the It brand but Brune Buonomano, MAS, Marina Fois and women in his circle wears his stuff.

I never had the feeling that Balenciaga wasn’t that accessible. We maybe had the illusion that it was more visible because a spot was put on some personalities. Maybe it ties also to that Nostalgia.

Back then at the shows Rue Cassette, clients didn’t went with runway outfits…

One could say that the few women who bought the dresses from SS2008 or the leggings from 2007 were wearing contrived clothes and wanted to make a statement about having a more « advanced style ».

Maybe I’m biais but I don’t think the « Balenciaga by NG » ethos could have duplicated here. We can count on one hand the number of times he had bags at his Balenciaga shows lol.

Anyway, everytime I see Brune Buonomano, I’m floored by the way she embodies Nicolas’s aesthetic.

 

[WAVES]

I really love some pieces and for a moment thought NG was finally heading a different direction… I wish he had but oh well, it’s an interesting collection.

 

[imjustken]

Anyway, everytime I see Brune Buonomano, I’m floored by the way she embodies Nicolas’s aesthetic.

Someone put her on the runway asap then, pregnant with a stroller while breastfeeding for all I care, lol.

 

[LadyJunon]

I think that the magic of Ghesquière's Balenciaga is that despite being radically modernist, it was deeply rooted in the codes of Parisian chic, something that is important to a brand like Balenciaga.

At Louis Vuitton, the idea of chic doesn't matter that much to the brand's identity. Louis Vuitton is more about making a statement, almost a part of pop culture: Marc Jacobs iconic show settings, the numerous artist collaborations, even Virgil and Pharrell's appointments as creative directors.

Ghesquière probably adapted his look to fit in the needs of the brand. A Balenciaga approach would've too complex, high-brow and refined for a mass luxury like Louis Vuitton. That approach might've worked at one of their Couture houses (Dior, Givenchy) or their more craft-focused houses (Fendi, Loewe).

 

[imjustken]

We got him 'cause we liked his clothes
They got him 'cause they liked his bag

 

[Creative]

It’s crazy how terrible his LV clothes translate to real life. Most of the guests look like from a Stars Wars film. The clothes overshadow the people wearing them and look like a costume.

I wish he could relax a little bit. Even his more difficult Balenciaga garments looked cool when they were worn by the right person. His Vuitton makes women look like clowns.

 

[TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]

It’s crazy how terrible his LV clothes translate to real life. Most of the guests look like from a Stars Wars film. The clothes overshadow the people wearing them and look like a costume.

I wish he could relax a little bit. Even his more difficult Balenciaga garments looked cool when they were worn by the right person. His Vuitton makes women look like clowns.

Agree! His Balenciaga Pre-fall and Resort had so much great wearable stuff
Even his early days at Vuitton were so slick and simple
Women would easily look great in them

 

[Creative]

^I think that show (was it in Monaco?) is his best at LV.

 

[Lola701]

My favorite resort is the Palms Springs one. But the sandals from the Monaco ones are probably some of my favorite shoes he did at Vuitton. I’m mad I only bought one pair!

His best resorts are for me:
- Palm Springs
- NYC JFK Airport
- Monaco
- Saint Paul De Vence

This collection however is also in the best rank but is maybe too fresh yet to really reflect on it. There’s more commercial appeal than the one in Italy, it has less impact than the San Diego but the styling and the pieces are maybe more approachable.

I think this collection has a nice Balance between editorial and commercial.

His worst for me were the Axe Majeur and the Rio one.

 

[avonlea002]

Loved the first section (could do without the hats though) and the Lacroix like volumes at the end. 80s is my favorite decade so I will never get tired of Nicolas doing collections inspired by that time.

 

[TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]

Does anyone know if Natacha Ramsay-Levi is back at Vuitton? or is she still happily enjoying her Chloe money?

 

[Lola701]

Does anyone know if Natacha Ramsay-Levi is back at Vuitton? or is she still happily enjoying her Chloe money?

She is probably freelance. That’s how she can do her side projects like the APC collab, then work with the Vuitton team.
She lives a comfortable life anyway.