Nicolas Ghesquière Travels Across Time & Space for Louis Vuitton Fall 2026
The Louis Vuitton fall 2026 collection was a daydream—the kind that begins when you rest your head on a perfect patch of green grass. But this wasn’t your usual bucolic, open field. This season, Nicolas Ghesquière created a “neo-landscape” on his runway, with the help of Severance production designer Jeremy Hindle. Within a courtyard of the Louvre, green turf-covered geometric shapes that exploded from the ground made the perfect setting for Ghesquière’s fantasy, which the creative director unveiled on March 10.
The first four models wore pieces that mimicked those jutting shapes, as well as kepeneks—traditional garments worn in Russia, Turkey, and parts of central Asia. Shoulders emerged a foot beyond the natural line, creating boxy silhouettes covered in animal hair and wool. It’s a reminder that for many, clothing is a form of ornamentation, but for centuries (and still for some today), a garment’s utility is the priority. Attire is influenced by factors greater than trend cycles, like climate and the need for protection. Ghesquière’s take, of course, extended far beyond utility. And after a season of mostly wearable garments, Ghesquière quickly proved he was ready to have a bit of fun.
Still, the anthropological inspiration was apparent. In the show notes, Ghesquière cited the influences of mountains, forests, plains, and the people who inhabit those places. Shearling hats that came to a point on top curved up at the brim like a paper sailboat. Mini skirts and cropped jackets of plaid wool were topped with whimsical images of sheep, created by Ukrainian artist Nazar Strelyaev-Nazarko. Overalls were taken out of the field, rendered in luxe satin, and given a cowl neck—forget clothes that transition from the office to dinner, these can go from the farm to the bar.
Nature’s influence was perhaps most overt in the embellishments. Buttons looked like minerals, heels were made of antlers, and leather flowers and leafy imprints bloomed on everything. One model held her green bag knotted on a stick, while another nomad traveled with her home—or at least, a wooden purse that resembled it.
In Louis Vuitton’s daydream, time and space do not exist—a runway in Paris is not so different from the rolling hills of Turkish tea fields. The past intersects with the future, and science fiction is as real as the women sitting in the front row, like Zendaya, dressed in bridal white, who was likely eyeing pieces for her upcoming The Drama press tour. Chase Infiniti, Ana de Armas, and Alicia Vikander took in the spectacle, too while Alysa Liu enjoyed her first-ever fashion show. Someone should tell her they’re not all like this.
