Perceptions shift… In the Louvre’s Cour Carrée another emblematic institution rises for a finite, illusory moment. In this museal collaboration, Louis Vuitton converges on the most fascinating of territories: culture. Culture: what we see, what we accept, what we learn. What’s left to us….
Beaubourg is the symbol of a certain culture of fashion, when it takes a stand and expresses itself with a passion. Nicolas Ghesquière gained stature in an atmosphere of revival. And the Centre Pompidou, a fabulous example of generational architecture, represents the most captivating dialogue between a surprising construction and a historic Parisian neighbourhood. Paying homage to the clash of old and now is the very principle of a collection in which debate is deliberately lively, like a reverberation of the museum’s inauguration, in 1977.
The Fall-Winter 2019 collection speaks to a vision of fashion, when one is sure of one’s potential and knows with conviction that this is the path to follow. When everything one discovers in the enthusiasm of youth becomes the foundation of stylistic certainty. This collection is an invitation to cultural references. “Refinery” sweaters and “Carcass” dresses. The Monogram and the Damier oscillate on accessories in equal time.
A graphic juxtaposition that surfaces on the new “Monogram LV Pop” and the beginnings of the “The LV Arch”, a bag as classic as it is knowledgeable. A nod to the monumental clock that counted down four hundred million seconds to the third millennium. The elusive state of being known as the Parisian.
Paris: a centrifuge. Inside/outside silhouettes, the very legitimacy of a starry-eyed young man in Paris, what he’s made of and what he will become. What there is to be seen, sincerely. Just as the the Centre Pompidou was created, with all the functional elements on the outside, the better to dress the inside. The incredible feat of the Centre Pompidou that could also apply to fashion is the ID Code of fluidity, an architect’s glossary that’s both formal and fanciful. Green is water, blue is air, yellow is electricity. Red is human. At Beaubourg, as in fashion, everything’s a matter of flow. Power is identified through the gesture.
Nicolas Ghesquière: “The Centre Pompidou, Beaubourg, Les Halles, Place des Innocents: A fascinating incubator of a neighborhood. An incredible melange, converging in the epicenter. The cliques, the styles, the life… I love that imprvession of a sartorial melting pot. Today, I’ve transposed it at Louis Vuitton: a House of multiple expressions..”
“The Centre Pompidou is a prototype. It’s an artisanal piece. People may laugh, but it’s all handmade! Industrial production starts with a craftsman’s gesture. The great advantage you have when you create an industrial product is that, with the artisanal piece you make, you have the time and the opportunity to make it and remake it time and again. Which is to say that the circularity of the creative process, which means conceiving of something, producing it, re-conceiving it, re-producing it and starting over again, the circularity of the culture of doing, the material, of action… This mix feeds the culture of conceptions. Which has always been the human spirit of creative work.”
Renzo Piano, architect of the Centre Pompidou.
“It took shape, on paper, with places dedicated to all, of all ages and origins, a cross between the British Museum and Times Square. Between culture and the everyday. In a way, that’s what a space for living is. We were very worried at the beginning because I was afraid the building would be too cold and we wanted to create a cultural machine that would be, by turns, culture and machine, something that could evolve. We had five floors, each the size of two football pitches. So the idea was to adapt to the evolution of everyday life.”
Richard Rogers, architect of the Centre Pompidou.
Louis Vuitton thanks Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, architects of the Centre Pompidou, as well as Serge Lasvignes, President of the Centre Pompidou.
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Tags: FALL WINTER 2019-20, LOUIS VUITTON, LOUIS VUITTON FW 2019-20
Thu, March 7 2019 » Fashion Blog
Fall 2019
To be a citizen of our world, to forge our own identity, to remain rooted and foster a community – what does this mean? These have been questions on my mind, especially amid a tumultuous political climate, a culture that often appropriates and misrepresents, a society where so manyare subjugated to the unseen.
In search for these answers, i look back at my roots—from my birthplace in Singapore to my home in Kathmandu, a beloved place I recently returned to for photo Kathmandu, a large scale photo exhibit supported by my foundation, Shikshya foundation Nepal.
Photo Kathmandu highlights new talent and celebrates the vibrancy of art and its ability to storytell, disrupt and provoke with conviction and optimism. During my trip, I found myself revisiting jhochhen street, known to some as “freak street,” the birthplace of the hippie movement, where westerners uprooted themselves to embark on a journey.
Redefining their very essence, they resisted with peace and enveloped one another with hope and love. This spirited place was and continues to be a nirvana for the explorative soul who seeks refuge from the confines of tradition and convention.
We travel back to the 1970s to trek on the path once known as the hippie trail. We depart kathmandu, voyaging through Delhi, Iahore, Peshawar, Kabul, Tehran, Beirut, before arriving back in the western hemisphere, passing by Rome, Paris and London.
We are nomads traveling through faraway lands, escaping society’s barriers while embarking on a transcendent trail. Along the way, we shed our skin, leaving a piece of ourselves behind. It is a cultural exchange of ideas and experiences as we search for a home that sees us, hears us, understands us and embraces us with freedom and empathy.
The confluence of these splendid cultures weaves together harmoniously. Speaking with colour and texture to forge unity and friendship, we revere ancient art and history with a fascination for the far east. Brocade patchwork hand loomed in varanasi and hand-painted metallic ombré palace motifs are collaged into our collective memory.
These visions are met by the glamour and exuberance of 1970s paris, as we recall the work of the greats – Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix, exemplified here through cascading chiffons, rive gauche silhouettes and layered organzas. We’re brought back to
reality, rooted by the pragmatism of modern american sportswear juxtaposed against traditional savile row techniques.
Utilitarian cargos are complemented with artisanal cashmeres hand knit in nepal, graphic houndstooth accented with quilting details, and flannel pinstripe lives alongside sacred fleur-de-lis print. With couture ideals, our tasaki atelier jewellery frees the spirit from traditional bonds and notions, allowing everyone ownership over their self-presentation and self preservation.
With new visual cues, we redefine how one is seen and where one belongs. We take an unabashedly hyper-feminine approach to celebrate diversity, joy and all of humanity. Through this collection, i present to you a joyous peek into our globetrotting suitcase that is the prabal gurung world – a multifaceted, colourful and optimistic place where integrity, purpose, levity and love are our most celebrated virtues.
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Tags: FALL WINTER 2019-20, PRABAL GURUNG, PRABAL GURUNG FW 2019-20
Wed, February 13 2019 » Fashion Blog
A sensibility of couture, a spirit of now. The Dior men’s winter 2019-2020 collection by artistic director Kim Jones draws on the attitudes and imprints of the house of Dior’s couture heritage – shapes, techniques, materials, ethos – then reinvents them anew. Alongside this continues Kim Jones’ examination of Christian Dior the man – namely, his background as a gallerist of the avant-garde of his time. It is mirrored today in a collaboration with the artist raymond pettibon. All become, in essence, acts of translation: from feminine to masculine, from art to fashion, from then to now. Examining the past, making it speak to the future.
The inspiration is all derived from Dior, from the house’s emblems and markers, and then evolved. Animalier, drapery, architectural tailoring, a soft color palette, de luxe haute couture materials. An unmistakable, often imitated but never equaled elegance. A parisian sentiment. The animalier comes to the fore as monsieur Dior’s beloved panthère – introduced in his first collection in 1947 – is joined by tiger and leopard patterns in knitwear and intarsia furs.
The notion of couture is expounded through tailoring, sometimes inlaid with panels of satin as if the lining is exposed. That idea is heightened in pieces that are entirely reversible – expressive of the idea that couture should be as perfect inside as out. A utilitarian bent to harnesses and vests reinforces the notion of couture as a craft. Alongside tailleur comes flou. The technique of moulage – the couture method of draping directly on the form – inspires gestures of fabric used to frame tailoring.
The asymmetry of the diagonally-wrapped tailleur oblique is further explored through coats with panels that wrap across buttons, disrupting the precision of their shape. Other jackets have panels of fabric that button inside, draping to the floor – theoblique, extrême. The preciousness of haute couture is reflected through fabrications – cashmere, silk satin, furs, that are combined with technologically advanced materials to give fabrics a high-gloss sheen.
Knitwear is made with a new technique, which resembles moiré; lace is cut into body-hugging sweaters. Nylon is used to mirror silk with its lustrous surface texture: beautiful yet lightweight and practical, it is representative of a modern idea of luxury. The color palette is archetypal Dior: palest blue, mauve bisque, a symphony of pearlized grays, midnight blue and black.reflecting Dior’s love of and fascination with the art world, Kim Jones collaborates with the artist raymond pettibon for this collection.
A curation of existing drawings are shown alongside debuts of entirely new works specially-created by pettibon, and evolved into prints, knits, jacquards, and hand-embroideries. A figure subconsciously influenced by the mona lisa; a pair of eyes staring into the future against an impressionistic sky. These references to classical art are joined by works inspired by Dior; a spray-painted version of the Dior animal print – punk panthère – which resembles a floral, and a reimagining of the house’s logotype, used in jewelry.
As Kim Jones reinterprets Dior, he invites others to do the same. Christian Dior’s personal obsessions and superstitious nature are the theme behind the jewelry by yoon ahn, featuring mementos and charms, worn like amulets and as charm bracelets. The Dior ‘cd’ emblem becomes the fastening on a safety pin. It simultaneously speaks of punk – of the now, and the contemporary art of raymond pettibon – and the world of haute couture.
Underscoring the crossing from the feminine to the masculine world, accessories continue to translate the Dior ‘saddle’ bag into a men’s wardrobe. Today, Kim Jones’ reinterpretation is executed in nylon or lush leopard-patterned mink as a new cross-body style; backpacks, also in nylon, feature Dior’s signature cannage quilting. The ‘saddle’ becomes a pocket on utility gloves elongated to opera length.
Other bag styles draw on classic Dior shapes, their scales altered and adjusted. These sit alongside the hyper-modern: a series of cases designed for the electronic essentials of life today include sleek cases in raymond pettibon-printed plexiglass, leather or Dior oblique canvas, designed to fit not one but two iphones – new necessities.
The shoe styles feature nylon gaiters, the leather intricately brogued or laser-etched with panther spots.the collection is presented as a series of tableaux vivants along a vast, 76-meter-long moving walkway, like a couture salon showing of the past but on an operatic scale.
In place of the monolithic statues of the previous two seasons, here the looks form the centerpiece, striking poses in sculptural attitudes that, like classical artworks, throw shade.shown in the heart of the french capital, this Dior men’s collection – like the house of Dior, like the art of haute couture itself – is fundamentally, quintessentially parisian.
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Tags: DIOR, DIOR FW 2019-20, FALL WINTER 2019-20
Sat, February 2 2019 » Fashion Blog
