Louis Vuitton Cruise 202645 Images
Nicolas Ghesquière has always been a time traveller. From the very start the designer has rampaged through history and fast-forwarded far into the future for inspiration, turning out collections that clash disparate period markers and concepts. But last night, at his 2026 Louis Vuitton Cruise show, he really let loose, turning back the clock to ye olde Medieval times and mixing what he found there up with some rock ’n’ roll 70s references. Ticket lost in the post? Here’s everything you need to know.
By the time August rolls around, the majority of Paris-based fashion professionals slam their laptops shut and log off for a month, heading for hot destinations like the south of France. This season, Ghesquière brought the trio forward, leaving the Louvre behind in favour of a little trip to Provence. The Louis Vuitton show landed in the sleepy town of Avignon, which, by the time the likes of Jaden Smith, Emma Stone, Cate Blanchett, Sophie Turner, Flowerovlove and loads more rolled in in blacked-out cars, was not so sleepy any more. Crowds of kids waiting to see the stars congregated outside, while residents in the houses nearby hung out of windows to get a better look at what was going on.
Fashion loves a religious space and all the pomp and ceremony that goes with it – just last week, Gucci took over a massive church in Florence for its Cruise afterparty, cranking Charli xcx up to the point the monks upstairs were probably shaking in their beds. At Vuitton, Ghesquière infiltrated the grand Palais de Popes – or Pope’s Palace, if your French isn’t so hot – and blew the cobwebs out of the corners of the former Papal residence, debuting his collection on a catwalk lined by Medieval wood and red velvet pews. Think Medieval Times, but make it chic.
There was a big surprise pre-show as Ghesquiere decided to give editors a sneak peek at the collection and talk them through it, which is something he rarely does, preferring to let the clothes themselves do the talking. Backstage, he explained traditional Medieval dress had really got him going this season, but so had Janis Joplin’s style in the 70s, and so he decided to clash the two together to create a youthful and widely eclectic fashion mish-mash.
Despite the heavy historic references, Ghesquière managed to make a collection that felt completely hot and fresh and new, which is not really a big surprise, since he’s always been so good at doing exactly that. Little nipped nobleman-y jackets and boned bodices snatched the waist, while waistcoats were layered over billowing silk chiffon blouses. Dresses came short and trapeze shaped with big wide balloon sleeves and neat leather skirt suit sets were clasped together with heavyweight gold buckles. Dramatic capes and a handful of ruffs nodded to the Medieval period, but Ghesquière managed to keep it from veering too far into costume.
Everything was turned out in glittering brocades that shimmered like sweet wrappers, or otherwise embellished to within an inch of their life with crystals, beads, and sequins – like the cutie little go-go boots that loads of the models wore, covered in fragments of mirror that glinted in the light as they walked. It was as if Ghesquière had gone absolutely nuts in a haberdashery, and as a fashion magpie I loved it. Sure, it was OTT, but honestly, after seasons and seasons of ‘quiet luxury’ at most of the other houses, it was a joy to see a designer clearly have so much fun.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the entire collection in full
