Tonight in Paris, Nicolas Ghesquière staged Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2027 show beneath a traffic jam of suspended “flying” cars in the Cour Carrée du Louvre. Futurism is familiar territory for the designer, but this season it came with a distinctly present-tense point of view.
Ghesquière opened with an airy white amuse-bouche: a paneled, semi-sheer midi dress; a flowing V-neck style finished with a safety pin embellishment; and a T-shirt and silk skirt layered with a body-skimming knit cardigan. The set may have pointed to the future, but these were clothes that belonged firmly in the now.
Then came whisper-thin open-knit tanks, car coats, and nylon anoraks, all remarkably simple in cut and color. It was a sharp departure from the more avant-garde experiments of Ghesquière’s fall/winter 2026 show, which leaned into extravagant, out-of-this-world shapes. Still, his penchant for the abstract was there.
Ghesquière also let the familiar get a little strange. Modish skirts and midi dresses came dotted with iridescent details in an almost argyle-like pattern, while ruffled cape necklines added a flourish. The result felt rooted in the past—particularly the mod mood of the ’60s and the pared-back simplicity of the ’90s—with one eye on what comes next.
As has been the mood on the runways this season, the silhouettes were easy and unencumbered, built for the demands of city life. In his show notes, Ghesquière described a “notion of design fundamentally shaped by the conditions, capabilities, and movement of the human body”—an idea that came through in the technical fabrics and relaxed proportions.
Even the tailoring had a certain ease. Formal coats came with upturned lapels and were paired with floating silk trousers. One black waistcoat got a Ghesquière twist: the model slipped her arms through the side openings instead of the intended armholes. For the finale, a structured black pantsuit trailed with a printed carré scarf, adding a fluid finish.
It was a fitting last note for a collection that kept one foot in the future and the other firmly on the pavement. Ghesquière’s vision of tomorrow came through in clothes that felt made to move through the city now. The flying cars could wait.
Matthew Velasco is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. Based in New York City, he previously worked as a News Writer at W magazine and an Assistant Editor at V magazine. Outside of fashion, he enjoys interior design, tennis (both watching and playing), and a jam-packed antique store.
Source: ELLE
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