For Cruise 2026, Nicolas Ghesquière put on a show of cinematic proportions. Set against the towering Gothic grandeur of the Palais des Papes—a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrating 30 years of that status—Louis Vuitton’s latest offering unfolded like an immaculately choreographed performance. Where the designer typically fuses House codes with hyper-modernism, Cruise 2026 explores the romance of medieval aesthetics, all reimagined with his signature future-forward lens.
For Ghesquière, this wasn’t just a venue; it was a personal pilgrimage. He first encountered the soaring palace in 2000 during a millennium-themed art exhibition that hosted installations and performances by Pina Bausch and Bill Viola. Now, 25 years later, he returned with a spectacular 45-look collection—a dreamscape that danced between medieval heraldry and glam rock, Arthurian myth and couture-level craft. Think Romeo & Juliet meets Ziggy Stardust.
“The idea was to place the audience on stage,” Ghesquière said in a pre-show interview, referencing the 2000 Bausch performance he witnessed as a key inspiration. The result was a show that felt as much an immersive experience as it was a sartorial showcase.
The collection itself was peak Ghesquière: structured leather jackets, asymmetrical silhouettes, intricately woven knits, layered styling and sequinned T-shirt dresses shimmering like mythic relics. Accessories made statements too—embroidered peep-toe boots that riff on armour and Alma bags adorned with scrolling florals lifted from historical manuscripts. The Cour d’Honneur, long a stage for artistic experimentation, inspired a collection that blurred the lines between history and futurism.
What stood out most, though, was Ghesquière’s deft synthesis of past and present, fantasy and functionality. From theatre and myth to music fandom and gaming lore, the designer wove a narrative that addressed a contemporary void we find ourselves in, offering an optimistic take on the in-between of it all. “Fashion must navigate between the everyday and the spectacular,” he mused—and with Cruise 2026, he did exactly that.
This story originally appeared on GRAZIA International.
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