Sandra‘s Closet

For more than 160 years, creative exchange has taken place in tandem with the heritage and innovation of Louis Vuitton. These artistic collaborations have expanded the Maison’s universe, enlivening collections with imagination and surprising expression. With LV DREAM, Louis Vuitton celebrates these inspiring ideas and their creators as an expansive exhibition within the building of the former La Belle Jardinière department store, alongside a café and chocolate shop in collaboration with the Cheval Blanc Paris Chef-pâtissier, Maxime Frédéric.

Beginning December 12th, 2022, LV DREAM welcomes visitors to discover a rich exploration of Louis Vuitton’s collaborations through time and across a broad range of historic and contemporary pieces. Comprised of nine rooms with many interactive components, this immersive journey revisits the highly original interpretations in constant dialogue with the Maison. The exhibition plays out with endless dynamism spanning the earliest artistic undertakings such as window displays and perfume bottles; specially commissioned trunks; iconic Monogram reworkings by renowned artists; the diverse range of ready-to-wear collaborations; and the first three chapters of the Artycapucines collection of reimagined Capucine bags.

Inside, visitors will follow a circuit arranged according to themes such as «Louis Vuitton: As Seen»; «The World of Louis Vuitton According to Rei», and «Leather Goods in Fashion». Among the highlights: two portraits of Louis Vuitton by Alex Katz and Mister Cartoon that have never been exposed to the public. The World of Vuitton According to Rei, a room dedicated to Rei Kawakubo, artistic director of Comme des Garçons, who envisioned two capsules for Louis Vuitton: Party Bags in 2008 and Bags With Holes in 2014. Here, the scenography encourages visitors to experiment with the scale to feel as though they are actually inside the bags. Interactive scenography can also be found in Art Meets Fashion, the final space where a digital wall projects motion-sensitive animations adapted from collaborations with Daniel Buren, NigoÒ, Grace Coddington and Christopher Nemeth.

To extend the experience, LV DREAM introduces «Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton» – a café and chocolate shop (Chocolaterie), both overseen by the renowned Chef-Pâtissier of the Cheval Blanc Paris. Among the leading names in the artistry of patisserie and chocolate-making, Maxime Frédéric honed his craft at the palace-hotels of Paris, including Le Meurice and George V, before joining the Cheval Blanc Paris in 2020 and winning the 2022 Gault & Millau Guide prize for Pastry Chef of the Year. Surrounded by tropical plants, the Café offers a lush respite for visitors with a specially developed selection of fresh pastries that play on the Maison’s motifs. The Chocolaterie, meanwhile, showcases a delightful assortment of chocolates that once again draw inspiration from Louis Vuitton codes, packaged in emblematic boxes.

Finally, in the gift shop, visitors can browse items developed with an exclusive LV DREAM design, along with a selection of small leather goods, accessories, fragrances, and publishing.

Conceived for Parisians and tourists alike, LV DREAM builds upon previous exhibitions that have explored the Maison’s history of collaborations. Here, imagination and creative output become an experience for all to discover.

Opening date: 12th December 2022
Location: 2 rue du Pont Neuf – Paris 1er (former Belle Jardinière department store)
Opening hours : Monday to Sunday, 11am to 8pm
Free admission to exhibition upon reservation via Louisvuitton.com
Free entry without reservation to «Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton» and gift store

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Louis Vuitton
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

LOUIS VUITTON’s “Celebrating Monogram” project takes place in honor of the house’s 160th anniversary. As announced this week in a previous post, six creative visionaries Christian Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld, Rei Kawakubo, Cindy Sherman, Frank Gehry and Marc Newson reinterpreted the iconic Vuitton Monogram with a series of accessories. Finally the designs that will hit the stores Mid-October 2014 have been revealed.

Enjoy and better get yourself on the wait list now!

The Shopping Bag ($5150.00) and Shopping Trolley ($23,300.00) by Christian Louboutin

For his contributions to ‘Celebrating Monogram,’ Christian Louboutin achieved a rather amazing mind-meld of his own signature codes – red (of course), metal studs, feminine bows – with those of Monogram.

Camera Messenger ($4450.00) and Studio in a Trunk (Price on request) by Cindy Sherman

Perfect for globetrotters, visual artist Cindy Sherman drew on memories of the colorful hotel labels affixed to vintage Vuitton trunks. Her designs evoke Sherman’s own journey as a photographer.

Twisted Box ($4400.00) by Frank Gehry

Renowned for his designs on a grand scale – the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Vitra Design Museum near Basel, among many others – architect Frank Gehry applies his avant-garde mastery to the construction of this sculptural bijou of a bag in Monogram canvas.

The Punching Bag ($3400.00), Suitcase ($5900.00) and Punching Trunk (Price on request) by Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld’s extravagant Boxing suite is surely the most flirtatious of this collaboration celebrating the French Maison’s grand tradition of special-order luggage.

The Fleece Pack ($5900.00) by Marc Newson

Acclaimed as the most influential industrial designer of his generation, Marc Newson’s work ranges from concept jets to jewellery. When he accepted the invitation to join ‘Celebrating Monogram’ project, he set out to create a truly functional object; the result is this pure, sculptural backpack. My favorite!

The Bag with Holes ($2790.00) by Rei Kawakubo

Upon seeing Japan’s first Louis Vuitton store in 1978, Rei Kawakubo discovered the allure of French craftsmanship and art de vivre. Today, the creator of Comme des Garçons applies her radical, refined aesthetic to a House icon, revisiting the Sac Plat with boldly conceived asymmetrical cutouts and raw-edged details to produce this provocative ‘Bag with Holes.’

For more information, please visit the dedicated website.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, © Steven Meisel and © Karl Lagerfeld

LV gets a new meaning… Lagerfeld Vuitton, Louboutin Vuitton… sounds too good to be true?! It is reality, on September 10, 2014, Louis Vuitton will reveal the amazing collaboration with the group of six famous creatives as part of THE ICON AND THE ICONOCLASTS project.

Among those visionaries from the worlds of fashion, art and design are Karl Lagerfeld, Rei Kawabuko, Christian Louboutin, Cindy Sherman, Marc Newson and Frank Gehry, who has also designed the window displays for September.

Each of them has been given ‘carte blanche‘ to to reinterpret the brand’s iconic monogram bag or luggage. The limited edition pieces will go on sale from mid-October in a very select number of Louis Vuitton stores and range between €2000 – 4000.

Classic Monogram Keepall 45 by Louis Vuitton

The monogram was launched with worldwide patents on it in 1896 by Georges Vuitton as a tribute to his late father Louis, who had died in 1892, and was considered revolutionary in its time. Its graphic symbols, including quatrefoils and flowers (as well as the LV monogram), were based on the trend of using Japanese and Oriental designs in the late Victorian era.

Today, Louis Vuitton revealed some exclusive behind the scene photos of the creative process!
Cannot wait to see the results on September 10, 2014! Stay tuned!

LoL, Sandra

Karl Lagerfeld

Christian Louboutin

Frank Gehry

Cindy Sherman
Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

“Comme des Carrés”
Hermès meets Comme des Garçons
February 6th – March 31st 2013

Bali Barret, the artistic director in charge of the Hermès women’s universe, has invited Rei Kawakubo, creator of the Comme des Garçons house, to lend her personal vision to the Hermès scarf. This unexpected encounter has produced two collections, each released in limited edition: one, called ‘Black and White’, will be available exclusively in the Comme des Garçons shops in Paris, New York and Tokyo. The other, named ‘Colour’, will be reserved for the Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo.

Couvertures et tenues de jour N&B

“Rei Kawakubo has stamped her vision on the Hermès scarf. With rigour, precision, energy and salience”, remarks Bali Barret. This work is in keeping with the Comme des Garçons reflections on the relationship between creation and already existing objects. Here, the encounter with the Hermès scarf consists of an application, or a graphic superimposition onto the house designs, thus creating new and unique objects.

Harnais de cour

“I have always deeply respected the tradition and craftsmanship of Hermès. In our project together, rather than wanting to wear the scarves, I was looking forward to the change that would happen when I added something to the beautiful ‘paintings’ of Hermès scarf designs. I think through the addition of abstract images, we have transformed the scarf and created something new”, comments Rei Kawakubo.

Thalassa

“Black and White” collection: Available only in Comme des Garçons shops (Aoyama-Tokyo, New York, Paris). Part of the most radical vein of Comme des Garçons aesthetic work, this line is made up of five scarves printed only in black and white, where the absence of colour allows the pattern to drift towards the abstract.

Giant patchwork Hermès scarf (180x180cm)

“Colour” collection: Reserved for the Dover Street Market stores (London, Tokyo). Made up of six creations, this mischievous, colourful and adaptable collection has a hybrid character, in which the surprising assemblies (rectangle, giant patchwork, gingham and stripes) rewrite the traditional narratives of the scarf.

The ‘Comme des Carrés’ collection will be available:
From 6th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, Paris
From 7th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop, New York
From 8th February 2013 in the Comme des Garçons shop in Aoyama-Tokyo, and the Dover Street Market Ginza shop.
From 12th February in the Dover Street Market shop, London

Quadriga

The collection will also be for sale online at www.doverstreetmarket.com from 6th February 2013 for the “Colour” collection and from 1st April 2013 for the “Black and White” collection.

I just love all of them!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Hermès