Today, during Paris Fashion Week, Louis Vuitton presented its Spring/Summer 2026 women's collection in a memorable setting: a royal apartment overlooking the Seine, a place where past and present blend in a refined interplay of historical and modern references.
The chosen setting—Anne of Austria's former summer residence—was transformed for the occasion by Ghesquière and set designer Marie-Anne Derville into a reinterpreted period salon: classic furnishings, restored marble, frescoes, and 18th-century details interacted with contemporary elements, recreating a scenic intimacy worthy of a fashion story.
The underlying theme throughout the show was the contrast between the domestic and the epic: “I wanted the serenity one feels in the comfort of one’s own home,” the designer declared backstage, explaining how, for him, “today you can dress with refinement even at home.”
A dream wardrobe for a modern courtesan
Stylistically, the collection presents itself as a blend of elaborate embroidery, precious fabrics, and silhouettes influenced by historical influences. Knickerbocker leggings are paired with shirts with 15-centimeter high collars, ceremonial lace dresses, voluminous scarlet satin coats, and brushed silk details, an 18th-century French technique that transforms the fabric into a soft, luminous surface.
Alongside courtly references, there's no shortage of futuristic sporty echoes: technical palazzo pants, high-tech sneakers, turbans, and doge's miters. The result is a wardrobe that oscillates between reconfigured courtliness and a cosmopolitan vision.
The color palette was explicitly inspired by the colors of the apartment: delicate nuances, pastel shades and scarlet accents, all calibrated to resonate with the stuccos, marbles and historic floors of the building.
Between narration and spectacle
The show wasn't just a simple catwalk: it became an immersive event. The set design blended elements of art and architecture—furniture inspired by Robert Wilson, ceramic sculptures, and references to the Art Deco and 18th-century periods—in a continuum between decor and avant-garde.
In the background, Cate Blanchett slowly recited the lyrics of This Must Be the Place by David Byrne, adding an emotional register to the sense of belonging and reflection evoked by the show.
Among the guests in the front row were prominent names in international cinema such as Emma Stone, Jennifer Connelly and Zendaya, along with the top brass of the LVMH group.
Perspectives and reflections
With this proposal, Ghesquière asserts a less ostentatious and more interior vision of luxury, where value lies in the cohesion between environment, body, and memory. However, some criticisms emerge regarding practicality: how much of this aesthetic can be translated into truly wearable, everyday garments? Some commentators have observed that the conceptual dimension, while evocative, sometimes outweighs overall stylistic coherence.
In any case, the show at the Louvre reaffirms Louis Vuitton as a fashion house that does not surrender to minimalism: on the contrary, it explores new ways to connect the imagination with sartorial elegance, between historical references, performance, and narrative couture.