For Louis Vuitton Cruise 2027, Nicolas Ghesquière Explores the Contradictions of New York

The first model to walk out for Nicolas Ghesquière’s Louis Vuitton resort 2027 show carried a leather suitcase. Almost 100 years old, the piece was austere and all business—simple and pragmatic, a departure from much of the Louis Vuitton luggage of today with its signature monogram. But a closer look at this 20th-century design revealed black Sharpie marks unquestionably made by artist Keith Haring, who doodled on the piece before gifting it to a roommate in 1980. It was this accessory that set the tone for Ghesquière’s latest collection, one centered around dichotomies. Paris and New York. Uptown and downtown. A utilitarian travel case from the ’30s, transformed into a modern art piece.

The cruise show took place at the recently renovated Frick Collection in Upper Manhattan on Wednesday, May 20. The choice of venue was, in part, a celebration of the recent announcement of Louis Vuitton as the museum’s principal cultural sponsor for the next three years. Among the Bouchers, Fragonards, and Van Dycks sat the familiar friends of the house—Cate Blanchett, Zendaya, Emma Stone—along with The Devil Wears Prada co-stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt who posted up next to Anna Wintour. Alana Haim swapped her regular front row seat for a spot on the runway, where she made her debut walking in the show.

It was on that runway that the old and new came together. Ghesquière presented an American woman, but one influenced by a European past. Boxershorts hinted at the western uniform of athleisure, here elevated in satin. Capri leggings were also prevalent, but paired with jackets topped with bouncy, frilly collars that mirrored the Elizabethan ruffs on the museum’s paintings. Leather was used excessively—on patchwork jackets that could have been framed on the wall themselves, as well as on brightly colored blazers, shiny pants, and button-up miniskirts.

Haring returned throughout the collection, his signature graffiti-style appearing not only on bags but also on an array of Pop Art tops and dresses. Accessories were just as eye-catching, with a number of collectible pieces. A mini version of Haring’s suitcase was featured in a lineup of playful purses shaped like takeout containers and vinyl records. Louis Vuitton boxing gloves, slung over the shoulders of many models, added a last bit of cheek to the collection, and will undoubtedly be coveted by the celebrities-cum-boxers taking over MMA at the moment. Lace-up boxing booties also anchored a majority of the looks, leading the way for the next footwear trend.

The collection can best be described as an amalgamation. It combined time periods and trends from the Renaissance, through the Gilded Age, past the ’80s, and up to today. It referenced art throughout those eras, as well as pastimes like athletics and music. It combined fabrics and techniques, color stories and crafts. Ghesquière took all his influences and threw them in a pot, allowing them to combine, but also repel. Because it is in the contradictions that Ghesquière finds an endless source of inspiration.