Sandra‘s Closet

LVMH has appointed Off-White designer Virgil Abloh, who came to prominence as Kanye West’s creative director, to lead men’s design at Louis Vuitton. His first show for one of the oldest and most powerful European houses in the luxury business will take place in June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.

The appointment, widely rumoured in recent months, follows the departure of Kim Jones, Abloh’s predecessor at Louis Vuitton, in January. Last week, it was announced that Jones would become the men’s designer at LVMH-owned Christian Dior, replacing Kris van Assche.

Kim Jones, Abloh’s predecessor at Louis Vuitton is now at LVMH-owned Christian Dior.

“Having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today. His sensibility towards luxury and savoir-faire will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton’s menswear into the future,” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman & CEO.

Virgil Abloh with Naomi Campbell at his Off-White™ S/S 2018 show.

“It is an honor for me to accept the position of Men’s Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the House are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times,” stated Virgil Abloh.

Who is Virgil Abloh?

Born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980, Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer. After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, he completed a Master´s Degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in a curriculum founded by Mies van der Rohe. It was here that he learned not only about modernist design principles but also about the concept of multi-disciplinary working.

Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ was started in 2012 as an artwork titled “PYREX VISION.” In 2013, the brand premiered a seasonal men’s and women’s fashion label showing runway collections during Paris Fashion Week since 2015. Abloh has also presented his work at major design institutions around the globe by the likes of Harvard Graduate School of Design, Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and the Rhode Island School of Design.

In 2019 he will have a major exhibition of past and current work at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Illinois. In 2015, Virgil Abloh for Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ is among the finalists of the LVMH Prize. He has been awarded various prizes, most recently winning the British Fashion Awards Urban Luxe award and International Designer of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2017.

Off-White™ S/S 2018

 For Off-White™ ‘s S/S 2018 collection, Virgil re-imagines what Princess Diana’s wardrobe would look like if she were alive today – right down to the much-anticipated shoe collaboration with Jimmy Choo, which is available to shop here.

Plastic-covered stilettos:  Jimmy Choo x Off-White collaboration campaign image.

Get the look: Crepe blazer, crepe mini skirt, Diana silver-tone crystal clip earrings, and C/O Jimmy Choo Anne 100 PVC-wrapped satin pumps, all by Off-White™.

LoL, Sandra

Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, © Fabien Montique, Courtesy of Pyrexforsale and Off-White™

«Volez! Voguez! Voyagez!» literally translates as «Fly! Sail! Travel!». Those three words written across a vintage Louis Vuitton advertisement poster summarize the spirit of the brand and are the title of an upcoming exhibition that will take place at the Grand Palais from 4th December 2015 till 21st February 2016.

Curated by Olivier Saillard, this exhibition retraces Louis Vuitton’s great journey from 1854 till today, through depictions of the Maison’s founding members and those who create the Louis Vuitton of tomorrow.

Monsieur Louis Vuitton

The Grand Palais was constructed in 1900 during one of the most spectacular Universal Exhibitions in Paris which welcomed 48 milllion visitors. At this turning point of the century, George Vuitton was in charge of organizing the entire section dedicated to “Travel & Leather goods“.

The Louis Vuitton booth, surprisingly in the shape of a merry-go-round, presented the Maison’s most innovative luggage and elegant bags and was the center of attention.

“Louis Vuitton has always been at the avant-garde of creation. More than a century after,
if Louis Vuitton remains at the helm of fashion, it’s because we continously inspire ourselves from
the past while anticipating trends of our times. For this exhibition, Olivier Saillard has immersed
himself in the archives of our Maison to decode its secrets. He delivers a fresh vision of our past, present and future“, says Michael Burke, CEO of Louis Vuitton.

The thematic journey conceived and designed by Robert Carsen navigates through 9 chapters, opening with the absolute symbol of Louis Vuitton: an antique malle. An innately modern design, it foresaw what were to become the Maison’s emblematic codes and epitomised Louis Vuitton’s audacious spirit. The exhibition presents objects and documents from Louis Vuitton’s Patrimony
as well as a selection of pieces lent by Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
A section dedicated to Craftsmanship closes the exhibition.

SUMMARY OF THE 9 SECTIONS OF THE EXHIBITION

I. THE TRUNK OF 1906, an innovative design
II. WOOD, a gateway to freedom.
The roots of the Louis Vuitton house
III. THE CLASSIC TRUNKS, a catalogue
of refined canvases, shapes and locks

IV. THE INVENTION OF TRAVEL:
– The rise of yachts, a taste for cruises.
The inauguration of the Steamer bag
– The motor cars, speed at one’s fingertips
– The train, outbound travel

V. THE ABSENT HOUR,
fine writing in line with Louis Vuitton

Artist Cindy Sherman with the colorful trunk embellished with hotel labels she designed for Louis Vuitton.

VI. THE PORTAIN TRUNK,
a conversation with art
VII. ECCENTRIC/CURIOUS TRUNKS.
Gaston-Louis Vuitton’s antique personal collection

VIII. FASHION AND BEAUTY
– Beauty essentials, fine fragrances,
delicate jewellery boxes
– Celebrity luggage. Superstar trunks
– Elegant dandies, the men of today.
Examples of masculine luggage
– Fashion and design, a mirrored present day
IX. THE MUSIC ROOM.
Special orders, dreams are made of these

EXHIBITION DETAILS

GRAND PALAIS 4th December 2015 till 21st February 2016
Salon d’Honneur, Entrée Square Jean Perrin, Champs-Elysées, Avenue du Général Eisenhower,
Paris 8th
Monday, Thursday and Sunday, from 10am – 8pm
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 10am – 10pm
Closed on Tuesdays except during school holidays
Free admission
AUDIO GUIDE
A mobile phone application allows visitors to enrich their tour.

As a big fan of the House of Louis Vuitton, I am truly looking forward to this exhibition.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: ©Archives Louis Vuitton Malletier

I was still in Shanghai for Omega’s amazing event with George Clooney (post coming up soon) when in Monaco around 300 fashionable people moved their way up the steep, winding streets of the city to enter the transparent tent with custom-made Pierre Paulin seats in the Place du Palais to attend Nicolas Ghesquière‘s second show for Louis Vuitton: his Cruise 2015 presentation.

CEO of Louis Vuitton Michael Burke, Delphine Arnault, fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière, Princess Charlène of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco

On the runway appeared beautifully embellished but still very wearable pieces, mismatched prints, embroidered lace with tiny seed beads, and a very well played game of colors that established Ghesquière’s very own key LV codes that he had started back in March during his F/W 2014 show.

The French powerhouse is always about accessories and those spiky silver belts, gladiator boots and the new, wide-opened bucket bag will surely find their fans all over the world.

I attached you my favorite looks herewith!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, © Jürgen Teller and © Rindoff/Le Segretain/Getty Images for Louis Vuitton