What to Remember About Louis Vuitton's Belle Époque Spring 2020 Show
Just like that, fashion month is over! After four weeks of exciting shows across the industry circuit, the Spring 2020 events came to an end on Tuesday with Louis Vuitton's latest show, and what a finale it was. Taking a heritage house into the new decade after nearly six years at the helm, creative director Nicolas Ghèsquiere had a range of inspirations past and present to create an experience that felt utterly futuristic. No, not in the vein of the rocketship that made Fall 2018 memorable or the space-age collection from Spring 2019—though ethereal purple clouds did light up the space. Instead, the show centered around Scottish producer SOPHIE's "It's Okay to Cry," which marked her coming out after years of holding a more anonymous presence. A couple of years later, her vulnerable ballad holds as much power as ever both socially and generally, and in collaboration with Woodkid, the musician created a new version of her video for the show. Throughout this screening, models walked out in clothes taking inspiration from the Belle Époque, with motifs including Gibson Girl hair, voluminous sleeves, and proto-psychedelic prints. This 19th-century theme mixed with the tailoring and literal psychedelia of the 1970s, which appears to be fashion's next big obsession, though this show, as well as others like Loewe, has us hoping that fashion continues to look hundreds of years back and bring those elegant details to modern silhouettes. Learn more about the highlights of the collection below.
The Location
As usual, Ghesquière chose the Cour Carrée du Louvre to premiere his latest collection. Voluntarily uncluttered, this season's set-up made use of wood from sustainably managed forests in France. At the end of the show, the entire set will be recycled in hopes of minimizing its environmental footprint. On the screen behind the models was a digital projection of SOPHIE, who performed a version for "It's Okay to Cry" she developed for the show in collaboration with Woodkid.
The Inspiration
Ghesquière took inspiration from the Belle Époque, notably including Sarah Bernhardt, "this great French actress who alone embodies the extreme richness of this era." The stained glass windows that make up the roof of the Louis Vuitton family house in Asnières, in a pure Art Nouveau style, also influenced the designer.
The collection
In a vision of opulence, the Belle Époque met with inspiration from the 1970s, which have been trending this season in shows like Paco Rabanne, Celine, and Fendi. A mix of colors, prints, cuts, and details come together to create a form of eclectic cohesiveness.
The Dauphine bag
Spring 2020 also marked the debut of the new Blade bag, a model "deliberately very classic" that takes from the codes of the famous trunks that launched the house to its prominence. The Dauphine bag also saw a revamp, now available in new materials and shapes.
The Front Row
As always, a star-studded crowd showed up to see the fashion week finale. Guests included Jennifer Connelly, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Justin Theroux, Emma Chamberlain, Chloë Grace Moretz, Catherine Deneuve, Alicia Vikander, Mark Ronson, Ruth Negga, and many others.
