Louis Vuitton goes sheer and fluid for a hotter world

Paris: Louis Vuitton showed fluid jackets and slinky, sheer dresses on Tuesday as womenswear creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere said hotter temperatures caused by climate change were changing his approach to developing fabrics and designing clothes.

"The world is getting warm," Ghesquiere said after the show, asked about the heatwaves that swept Europe this summer. "It definitely has a strong influence, I think we all felt we needed a different wardrobe, we needed to think differently - it's almost like you have to weigh the clothes ... and see how they can perform, to think if they can be relevant today and for the future."

Light, flowing fabrics were used throughout the spring/summer 2027 collection on simple strappy dresses, loosely fastened jackets and sheer skirts in white or pastel pink and blue. A black and white check look and dresses covered in an iridescent diamond pattern provided graphic elements in otherwise pared-back, tonal outfits.


Models emerged in between Louis Vuitton-branded cars on a set made to look like a highway, with a tar floor and road markings - decor Ghesquiere said was inspired by learning that the stunning Louvre courtyard was for decades used as a parking lot for finance ministry officials, before the museum's famous glass pyramids were installed.

Jackets featured flowing sleeves with some also extending into a long train trailing behind the model, and trousers were wide and fluid with long slits up the side to let air in. Small, simple handbags came in cream and lemon tones.

Ghesquiere told reporters after the show that despite the minimalist appearance, "making things extremely light is very complex and the engineering and development of fabric to fight that gravity is also very complex".

Louis Vuitton, the flagship brand of luxury giant LVMH, has struggled with falling sales of its famous monogrammed handbags as fewer middle-class shoppers feel they can stretch to high-end purchases. The monogram was used lightly in the collection, featuring only on a couple of handbags and a leather bomber jacket.

A crowd of screaming fans outside the show greeted the arrival of K-pop star Felix, while France's first lady Brigitte Macron was among the celebrity guests, along with actors Zendaya, Emma Stone, and Saoirse Ronan.