banner-detik

handbags

Sugar, Spice, And Something Nasty at Louis Vuitton

Leija

Leija/ 13

seo-img-article

Marc Jacobs wouldn’t admit this, but the public strongly believes that his Spring/Summer 2012 show in Paris Fashion Week was his last with Louis Vuitton, before he departs to Christian Dior to replace John Galliano. Jacobs didn’t say a word, and wouldn’t even answer Dior-related questions. However, if it’s true, then Jacobs did a pretty good job in creating a farewell show with a bang.

First of all, the runway. Was there even one? I loved how Jacobs didn’t take the runway too seriously by making a circular one—with a you-can’t-miss gigantic merry-go-round—as opposed to a regular straight one.

Once the all-white merry-go-round was unveiled, showing all the girls at once, gracefully perched atop the horses, everyone went crazy. “It’s my biggest set, I could have never done this anywhere else. Very magical, it’s like a magic box: very Paris,” said Jacobs. It might be huge, but apparently, it wasn’t big enough. Jacobs originally designed more clothes, but since he could only get a merry-go-round with 48 horses, he also had to cut down his collection to 48 ensembles.

The horses started to rise and fall as it spun, once the curtain was lifted.  One by one, the models stepped off, and strolled around the set to flaunt the heavenly collection.

Oh yes, it was a collection from Cloud 9. If Jacobs’ dominatrix-esque collection for Fall/Winter 2011 was a bad girl, this collection was its angelic sister. Models wearing soft chignons with tiaras or thin white Alice bands strutted down the catwalk in pale colors that reminded us of of Laduree macaroons—lemon yellow, vanilla white, pistachio green, peach corals.

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 was all about femininity, and that translates to skirts and dresses in 1940s silhouettes. Skirts were either pencil cut with Broderie Anglaise (English Embroidery) details, or puffed-up, paired with a cropped blazers with over-sized buttons and large laser-cut, eyelet laces collars.

Speaking of eyelet laces, it was such a main feature of the show, showing up in blazers, cuffs, and the shift dresses’ that are layered with sheer organza. Some were mixed with flowery appliques; some were combined with marabou feathers, pumping up the graceful fairytale feel.

Don’t forget, though, Louis Vuitton is first and foremost a leather goods company that makes profits from their line of accessories, so it would be ridiculous to not feature the bags on the runway.

Some of the bags were all about maintaining Louis Vuitton’s classic silhouettes and monogram…

… some with insane craftsmanship. The ‘coquille d’oeuf’ clutch took 300 hours to assemble, using a 12,500 pieces of crocodile egg shells. Gasp!

But the pieces that I like the most was the modern, effortless ones—these playful open basket bags, in shimmering shades of metals. It looked so cool and it’s not something I would expect from Louis Vuitton.

Lastly, guessed who closed the show? Well, you probably have heard it by now. It’s Kate the Great, who also joined Louis Vuitton on Fall/Winter 2011. This time, it was said that Kate Moss who asked Marc Jacobs to join his show. The 37-years-old newlywed—who appeared as head dominatrix complete with a ciggie on Louis Vuitton’s catwalk last season—looked absolutely demure in the daintiest piece of the collection, a white macramé shift that fell to a hemline of ostrich feathers, matched with pointy-toed pumps and Alice band.

But even the prettiest show must have a bad side, and that is the poor models’ physical condition.

Louis Vuitton’s show took place on the last day of fashion month in Paris, and that means the models have been working non-stop like crazy for a month. Don’t expect them to be in prime condition for Louis Vuitton.

Take model Crystal Copland, who opened the show. Women’s Wear Daily asked her ‘what was the most not-fun thing about doing the shows (in fashion week)’, and her answer was, “The hair pulling. I’ve lost half of my hair in the past month because it just gets ripped out…”

Ouch. But that is nothing compared to what their feet had to go through. Imagine having your feet shoved into a different pairs of heels—none of which fit you—for five times a day, every day for a month. Are you ready to see how your feet would look like? Louis Vuitton’s models showed us:

And prepare for the most destroyed feet of all…

Did you faint? I certainly almost did. With their bruises, cuts, and dents, those feet looked like they’ve been raped! These pictures of the battered feet have been making rounds in the Internet, creating buzz and resurfacing the discussions of the models’ life dark side. But I guess that’s another story for another post.

Slow Down

Please wait a moment to post another comment