Louis Vuitton’s Soft ‘Sartorial’ Power
Review of Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Soft power, supple structure, ethereal opulence
As soft romance took to the runways across Paris, Nicolas Ghesquière interpreted it for the Louis Vuitton woman the only way he knows how, by injecting it with his specific brand of savoir faire, which for spring 2025 meant drawing on the contrasting idea of ’Soft Power’. In recognising that those two words, when used together create an oxymoron, it left Ghesquière wondering how to unite the two, as todays press release stated “Taken literally, soft power is also a fascinating oxymoron. How to reconcile two antagonists, softness and power?”
The designers silhouettes often reference a time when women were asserting their power in the workplace i.e. the 1980s, with the power shoulder having featured in some way-shape-or-form across his tenure. So, for Ghesquière there was no real struggle to tackle that side of the equation. But how to inject the softness, without tipping over into the world of the bohemian, and away from what the Louis Vuitton woman has come to stand for over the last decade? For a start there was what the show notes referred to as a “suppleness of structure”, which revealed itself from the first looks which strode out on what can only be described as one of the best runways since Dries Van Noten’s grass carpet from spring 2015 (side note: following the finale showgoers flocked to the runway to take selfies, as it was made from what looked like a collectors fantasy, in that dozens of Louis Vuitton trunks had been pieced together like a 3D puzzle for the set). Oversized blouses with voluminous puff sleeves and peplums carried structure within the softness of its curved lines, relaxing the silhouette further with sporty unitards or gathered capri pants. The knotting techniques which whisked skirts up and away from the floor gave the wearer the freedom to live her life in constant movement. While the sci-fi elements were also present, of course, as selected pieces featured the work of ‘Studies into the Past’ by Laurent Grasso depicting celestial occurrences, from eclipses to the aurora borealis, and his X-front jumpsuits were fit for the crew of a modern starship.
Even though it was a topic of inspiration for today’s collection, Nicolas Ghesquière’s has always called on a sort of soft power to attract his audience, with the future always in mind, the creative director is never to be found working in the now, which is why his designs tend not to date, developed as they are between the push and pull, between the now and the next. He has been able to convey an “ethereal opulence” which still exudes the joy he talked about feeling during his 10 years anniversary show. These clothes were also joy-inducing, from the sheer-overlayed mini dresses to the asymmetric trousers and the colour-blocked tabards.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Working to seasons, as it’s what the industry demands, is ordinarily how we meet this designers work, but what is presented doesn’t often sit into the neat box of – insert season and year. With the convergence of ‘formidable French fashion’ and forward-thinking rhetoric, Ghesquière’s collection today should be taken out of its seasonal context and used as a window into the world of women once ’Soft Power’ finally takes hold, because this is likely what we will be wearing.
