Designer Marc Jacobs's collection for the powerhouse label aims to celebrate diversity of women, in all shapes and sizes
Jesse Cartner-Moley
"Designers are always talking about how they design for women, and then you look at our runways and there no girls over 20," said Marc Jacobs, the American designer of Louis Vuitton, backstage after his blockbuster catwalk show in Paris today. "This time, I set out to cast a variety of sexy women – younger, older, thin, voluptuous, from every ethnic background".
Think Anita Ekberg with Grace Kelly's wardrobe: ample cleavage spilling over simple sundresses, tight, glossy belts and long kid gloves.
The show's title, And God Created Woman, was apt not just because the look – A-line skirts, pumps, sweetheart necklines, even cat's eye spectacles – drew heavily on the era of Roger Vadim's 1956 film. It was also a reference to the catwalk becoming such a world of teenage waifs, to the extent that the appearance on the catwalk today of 46-year-old Elle Macpherson sent a shock through the audience.
Casting an ex-supermodel who is still traffic-stoppingly attractive may not sound like pushing the boundaries, but for a fiercely commercial superbrand such as Vuitton – whose recent openings include a boutique in Ulan Bator, Mongolia – it is a strong statement.
The collection, which consisted entirely of skirts and dresses, with natural makeup and ladylike handbags, was a radical departure from last season's frantic, Galliano-esque paeon to festival chic. This is a collection women will want – from Paris to Ulan Bator.
The Guardian
