Often, in the fast-moving world of fashion, elaborate custom looks are worn once then unceremoniously dumped, with stars and stylists moving on to the next designer on the rail. Except, of course, if you’re Zendaya. This evening (October 6), as the US actor made her way to the Louvre, crossing the cobblestones of the Cour Carrée to Louis Vuitton’s latest show, she cut a somewhat familiar, lily-white figure. Just this summer, she’d tapped LV creative director Nicolas Ghesquière to design a look for The Odyssey press tour: an intricate white lace dress and a voluminous, matching bolero jacket, with dramatic folded lapels akin to an Elizabethan ruff. Today, at the label’s SS27 show, Zendaya had swapped out the dress for a classic blue jeans/white vest combo, but layered the casual look with Ghesquière’s striking lace bolero. Who says celebs aren’t resourceful!
Like most Vuitton shows, Z was joined by a slew of other famous faces, like fellow house ambassadors Emma Stone (who went simple in a cobalt blazer and matching shorts), Saoirse Ronan (who rocked blunt baby bangs and colour-blocked knitwear), plus K-pop idol Lisa (in a frou frou top and leather mini). Outside of the ambassadors, Adults star Owen Thiele made his Louis Vuitton debut, Sinners actress Wunmi Mosaku wore an elegant camel cape, Sophies Turner and Thatcher were quite the Ghesquière muses, while Catherine Deneuve added some French classicism to proceedings. Completing the front row, however, were Yoonchae Jeung and Daniela Avanzini of the pop group Katseye, also making their LV debuts this evening. After Lara Raj and Megan Skiendiel – the band’s other two remaining members – were spotted at Loewe at the weekend, it looks like the girls have decided to divide and conquer to cover more shows. Who says celebs aren’t resourceful!
On the runway, Ghesquière approached SS27 with gentler brushstrokes than previous collections. While last season’s ready-to-wear show leaned into the roughness of the natural world, with hulking silhouettes and craggy textures, this evening’s runway began with a series of light, gossamer garments, dresses, skirts and shirts that fluttered gently in the Parisian breeze. “The ergonomic. A notion of design fundamentally shaped by the conditions, capabilities and movement of the human body is the foundational principle” of this collection, stated notes mailed out after the show.
Always one to lean into the aesthetics of tomorrow, Ghesquière’s collection was then populated by subtle nods to futurism. Space-age suits and reflective shades were shown alongside shift dresses inlaid with silver lamé foil. The elaborately ruffled tentacles on coats hinted at the possibility of life beyond earth, while pieces of layered diamond fabric and beaded fringe headpieces gestured toward retrofuturism.
As Ghesquière’s future-facing collection appeared across the Cour Carrée, the setting for the show was thrown into sharper relief. The runway the models walked across had been designed to resemble a highway, while the geometric shapes of Damier Check hovercars – floating at varying heights on metal stilts – were also dotted across it. “Louis Vuitton imagines a surreal runway punctuated by suspended concept cars – an invitation to consider travel beyond the paths already taken,” described the house. “At the crossroads of classical architecture and an imagined future, [the set] offers a surreal evocation of Louis Vuitton’s Art of Travel.”
Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to see the whole collection
