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3 things to retain from the Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2021-2022 show
Drawing his inspiration from the art of antiquity, Nicolas Ghesquière offers a fall-winter 2021-2022 collection that reinvents the proportions of the body with hybrid pieces, as well as a collaboration with the Fornasetti studio.
A collection that reinvents proportions
Ever since he became head of Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections, Nicolas Ghesquière has explored the relationship between clothing and time, proposing retro-futuristic silhouettes that seamlessly blend references to period costumes with contemporary inspirations. A true master of hybridization, the French designer has drawn inspiration from contrapposto – an Italian term used to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, that appeared in the 5th century and gave dynamism to ancient statutes – to assemble pieces that reinvent the proportions of the body. Throughout the collection, the waist is barely pronounced, while the volume is focused on the shoulders or knees. Mid-length skirts and petticoats are worn with long, straight sweatshirts in technical fabrics, and matching stirrup pants while long tunics are combined with jackets with voluminous sleeves.
A collaboration with the Italian artist Fornasetti
Like an archaeologist, Nicolas Ghesquière immersed himself in the 13,000 plus archives of the Italian graphic artist Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988), famous for his drawings inspired by the history of Italian art reproduced on everyday objects. Nicolas Ghesquière, with the help of Barnaba Fornasetti, the artist’s son who is now the brand’s artistic director, has selected works inspired by classicism and Roman antiquity, which can be found printed all over or in patches on dresses and coats, as well as on bags, while one design takes the form of a statue from antiquity. “Through this collaboration, I wanted to evoke the timeless modernity of Fornasetti’s artistic universe,” says Nicolas Ghesquière. “The works from the studio stand the test of time and are the result of a remarkable technical mastery and a magical vision of the world. I’m fascinated by the way Fornasetti has re-explored and reinvented the legacy of classicism and ancient Rome all while incorporating new references to historical imagery.”
The Louvre Museum as a backdrop
While Dior’s fall-winter 2021-2022 show took place in the famous Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, Louis Vuitton once again chose the Louvre Museum. It was in the Michelangelo and Daru galleries, dedicated respectively to Italian sculptures and Greek and Roman antiquities, that the ultra-contemporary silhouettes borrowed their details from ancient art. In this way, the French designer puts his work directly into perspective with the source of inspiration: “As a designer, I’ve always been captivated by the ability of fashion to simultaneously evoke the past, the present and the future,” explains Nicolas Ghesquière.
