Louis Vuitton. Resort 2026 - Palais des Papes in Avignon.

 

Can Nicolas Ghesquière's morph out of his love affair with 1950s esque futurism in all of its modernist splendor?  In other words the future-that-never-was, be it a nuclear powered expanding middle class, and space faring society, styled on its transfixed modernity, while the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s countercultures never happened.  Which in turn didn't ruin the dream of a patriarchal driven, rapid at-all-costs progressive society marching into nuclear war (yes, we  all await those missile defence shields and mega city domes).  In our currently confused, hyperreal, yet very dangerous attempt at recreating that 1950 styled utopia wonderland by one of the most dangerous, and unstable, U.S. Presidents the world has even seen, not only is there no counterculture on the horizon, and what did resemble some simulacrum basis of dissent, via social media, and in government jobs, has been wiped clean, for the time being.  So, can, in lieu of the said question above, with some elaboration, Ghesquière offer a slight backlash, through the Louis Vuitton template? 

The answer maybe very subtle, seen at Ghesquière's Fall 2025 collection, held at the disused "L’Étoile du Nord" train station in Paris. the very slight avant-garde is indeed creeping into Ghesquière's Louis Vuitton, showing that the Belgium designer, is very much beginning to 'own', at least aesthetically, the iconic fashion brand.  Despite Louis Vuitton being owed by Billionaire, Bernard Arnault, Ghesquière reshaping the historic brand name, has been no sudden game changer.

Ghesquière's latest collection under the Cruise or Resort banner, as a prelude to the Spring Summer 2026 collections beginning at Milan Fashion Week on the 20th June 2025, was held at the 14th Century Palais des Papes in Avignon, South East of Paris.  Once the epicenter of modern Christianity, more so catholicism, with a very checkered and brutal past in the centuries that followed.  Ghesquière continues to slice up his 1950s modernist template that he so much adores, whilst offering an array of asymmetrical, recuts and patchwork styles, drawing in that spillover from the 1970s into the early 1980s hedonism, with, dare I say, punk styles ala the late 1970s.  With a glammed up version (and legend), according to Ghesquière, of Excalibur as a centrepiece.  With all its 80s opulence and theatrics, although Ghesquière did not specifically say that the 1981 John Boorman "Excalibur" was a direct influence.  Representing, even though it was based loosely on a historical story, when in fact it is a leftover of sexual liberation and its visualized carnal, that flowed on from the 70s, into the 80s, before dissipating in the 1990s via a conservative leaning Generation X, did indeed show up in Boorman's sex, blood and violence fest, which had two ratings. Go and watch the "R" version to understand why.

So, with that being said, Ghesquière's Resort 2026 collection held within the historic Palais des Papes, which has a blood soaked, gory history, is also one of Ghesquière's most sexually liberating styles to date.  With above the knee mini skirts and dresses, bohemian chic flows, open and free, with dashes of avant-garde and late 1970s bondage inspired punk fashion.   A fusion of the glammed up history and the hedonic of yesteryear, with its counterculture inspiration. 

Are you inspired?  

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(A.Glass 2025)