GRACE, GUTS AND GLORY

In continuation of the tradition of staging his cruise shows at architectural marvels, for Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2023 collection, Nicolas Ghesquière painted the image of a utopian future at the scenic Salk Institute in San Diego, a scientific research centre in California designed by architect Louis Kahn. MEGHA KAPOOR recounts the powerful and immersive experience

There’s something quite special about arriving at LAX, getting off the plane, and driving along the Pacific Highway into San Diego County with the blue Californian sky in the background. I remember arriving at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, the incredible show venue that sat right on the Pacific coast. The way the symmetrical, unobstructive structures framed nature,was a sight to behold. I think that’s what Ghesquiére does so well. His clothes are so architectural that to stage the show amidst these incredible Brutalist buildings framing the ocean and the sky made absolute sense. And the way that it graduated throughout the show as the sun dipped and the models walked...it was pure magic, something you realise only in-person.

“The models emerged from the western edge of the travertine courtyard against the golden horizon, and it was almost like the creative director had cued the seagulls to fly as the rest of the lineup took its place up in the balconies on both sides of the pathway. Almost like a siren, the soundtrack began and the birds took flight. I remember wondering if they were trained to dramatise the moment.