LVMH Fashion Maisons – Fendi, Dior, Loewe, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton – unveiled fresh takes on women’s silhouettes in Milan and Paris.
For the Fendi Spring/Summer 2023 womenswear collection, Artistic Director Kim Jones drew inspiration from pieces imagined by his illustrious predecessor: Karl Lagerfeld. The clothes celebrate the advent of the new millennium with a collision of minimalist ease and pop-infused eclecticism. A fresh interpretation of a floral print from the archives of the Italian house and a logo first introduced in 2000 evoke the spirit of duality that permeates the history of Fendi. A harmonious palette of neutral colors – light gray, sky blue, white and beige – is interrupted by bold vibrant hues, while layers of organza and nylon jersey create an effortless yet refined effect. Accessories feature high-shine leathers alongside clean canvas and chained straps. With this new wardrobe Kim Jones pays tribute to the bold creativity of the Italian house.
The Dior Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection launched with a dance performance. The flowing bodies of the dancers, wearing trompe-l’œil flesh-colored outfits, accompanied the choreography of silhouettes designed by Maria-Grazia Chiuri. Inspired by the royal figure of Catherine de Médicis and the relationship between women and power, the Artistic Director for Dior Women’s collections presented a selection dominated by black. For the new season, Maria-Grazia Chiuri delved into the Dior archives to find a map of Paris printed on the back of a scarf. It has been replicated on a trenchcoat as ethereal as a paper map, as well as updated takes on the corset. The vocabulary of feminine undergarments reappeared throughout the show, from bustiers to stockings, bras tops to skirts, fishnet lace to broderie anglaise, as well as floral-motifs and pyjama stripes. Jewelry embellishments were pared down to precious necklaces that emphasize the beauty of a neck or ribbons tied around the waist. Highlight pieces included raffia coats embroidered with flowers and birds, showcasing the Dior atelier’s refined craftsmanship. Against the backdrop of a magical baroque grotto stage set by artist Eva Jospin, the collection celebrated the multiform power of both fashion and women.
Loewe presented its Spring-Summer 2023 runway show in the heart of Paris at the Battesti riding school, an architectural jewel of the Garde Républicaine. Against the backdrop of this metal framed national heritage treasure, built between 1890 and 1905, Jonathan Anderson created a sensual and poetic atmosphere with the looks in his new collection. Creative Director of Loewe since 2013, the British prodigy chose the anthurium as the muse for a colorful and whimsical floral wardrobe. The only splash of color on the pristine podium was a vibrant red giant reproduction of the tropical flower. Attendees were treated to pieces for the season featuring enameled metal or compact twisted knits. Ultra-short dresses and ceramic pieces were joined by pussy bow collar tops and aviator jackets. The designer imagined a wardrobe where the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. Iconic pieces are revisited with tiny all-over anthuriums for the Puzzle bag, while the Goya continues its play on volume. An avant-garde statement on the reality of clothes, infused with tension and precision.
Nicolas Ghesquière proposed an ode to femininity for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2023 fashion show collection. An ode indeed, but one that glorifies its complexity, with a magnified take. As the show unfolded the silhouettes highlighted continual plays in volumes. Infinitely large and infinitely small came together, zooming in on details with scale that unsettles the codes of femininity in proportions re-evaluated by the Maison’s Artistic Director for Women’s Collections. The designer continues to challenge gender boundaries with androgynous looks for leather jackets and pants, while sharing a vision of a “survivalist” world in a life preserver style for bustiers and dresses, right from the first pieces. The creative audacity of the collection goes straight to the core of the DNA that has inspired the Maison’s success. The scenography in the Cour Carrée du Musée du Louvre was a “monster-flower” created by artist Philippe Parreno, pulsating as the silhouettes blossomed to life.
For its Spring-Summer 2023 collection, Givenchy proposes a contemporary take on a cosmopolitan urban wardrobe, bridging the France of Givenchy and its embodiment of Parisian chic, and the Californian universe of Artistic Director Matthew M. Williams. A worthy heir to the founder of the Maison, he reprised signature Givenchy codes with evening gowns both slit or with trains, embellished with feathers or sequins. Cinema-ready silhouettes evoking looks that made the House’s reputation across the Atlantic were unveiled in the Jardin des Plantes. Besides the reedited models, the “Voyou” bag made an impressive debut on the catwalk. Crafted in bright calf-leather and highlighted by an engraved hardware, it comes in a kaleidoscope of colors. Revisiting American workwear essentials and tropes from the classic military and men’s wardrobes, such as the bomber jacket or cargo shorts, the collection is placed under the sign of the dialogue between urban and savoir-faire.
