Louis Vuitton. SPring 2024 - PAris Fashion Week

(Images:  Louis Vuitton 2023)

I won't go into details of the extreme opulence and excessiveness that Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group have committing to, in their renovation of the historic 101 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, except to say that it may try and mirror  the 10,000 sqm Dior flagship store at 30 Avenue Montaigne.  Renovations are currently  ongoing at the Louis Vuitton storefront, for its renewed mega store.  And if you do see the specifications (viewable on the LVMH website) it is, despite the turmoil of our world, it is the epitome of absurd.  And as the late French philosopher Albert Camus once said, "Existence is illusory and it is eternal.”  We are living in such interesting times, balanced precariously between excesses and oblivion. You may ask; Which way will it tip?  Yes, one has to be cynical and detached, yet objectively focused on all of its illusion.  And it is the later that may materialize, in a shorter time frame.

We have two major conflicts in the world that make the first Cold War pale in comparison, and overconfidence and arrogance has reached new levels after the pandemic passed, while it had killed a large portion of the human race, we have all raced back into consumption on the hopium that the new normal will return, that being pragmatic spending of the Middle Class.  All the while new cold war foe China buys up Western luxury via its maniacal stimulus programs.  What could go wrong?  Probably a lot at this point in time, yet LVMH must commit to its budgets and shareholders, thus the extremity of the over development of their new Louis Vuitton store in Paris must go on.

And in its absurdity, the utopian futurist designer and creative director of Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière, who has shifted back and forth from dark inclinations seen in recent showings, returned to his grandeur of a redefined 1950s - esque vision of the future that never was.  So, the Spring 2024 collection feels very positive in its overall presentation.

It is one of the more textured arrays by the Belgium designer, keeping in tune with his previous seasons, Ghesquière has revealed a fusion between the synthetic materials and the non-synthetics, to which Louis Vuitton maybe increasing synthetic stalwarts such as viscose and polyester as to be the predominate blend in his use of wools and cotton.  This could be a cost issue for the luxury brand, and studying Ghesquière's Spring 2024 styles, it seems there is a lot more use of these blended materials.  Chiffon skirts and pants, with its colorful and relaxed styling.  Sleeveless biker jackets, miniskirts and patterned wide shouldered blazers, it does seem that Ghesquière has fused his utopian 1950s to what could have been of the 1960s, where no counter culture occurred, just a change of fashion. 

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(A.Glass 2023)