The merry-go-round of Parisian fashion provided both the theme and the set for Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer 2012 collection for Louis Vuitton. As, one by one, the models stepped daintily from the pure white carousel with its prancing horses, it became apparent that this season Louis Vuitton had stopped off – in the words of the show notes – “at a place of pure enjoyment, gentleness, joie de vivre and love”.

The shoes from the show at once continued the sweet, romantic theme of the collection, with two-tone pastel straps, transparent panels, dainty laces and tiny buttons mirroring the outsize versions on the ready-to-wear, and provide a subtle contrast in the form of sharply pointed toes, some with metallic silver toe caps. Mules with high, straight heels are the predominant style, artfully combining textures from suede through patent to metallic calf leather, while pumps – reprising the same sleek shape with a pointed toe – are irresistibly feminine in sorbet shades of refined calf leather or luxurious alligator.



Merry-Go-Round Pump in Calf Leather
Colors: Rose, Bleu, Marine, Blanc
Heel Height: 4.4″
Price: US$1000

Merry-Go-Round Pump in Alligator
Colors: Bleu, Jaune
Heel Height: 4.4″
Price: US$9950

Merry-Go-Round Mule in Patent Leather and Suede
Colors: Bleu, Vert
Heel Height: 4.4″
Price: US$1460

Merry-Go-Round Mule in Patent Leather and Metallic Leather
Colors: Rose, Jaune
Heel Height: 4.4″
Price: US$1300

Merry-Go-Round Mule in Calf Leather
Colors: Noir/Blanc
Heel Height: 4.4″
Price: US$1410

Images via Louis Vuitton. Video via Louis Vuitton

Destination: Summer. Blazing sun, cloudless skies, infinite possibilities. A dip in the sea? A pause by the pool? A spot of shopping or sightseeing? Look forward to those glorious golden days in the company of the Summer collection by Louis Vuitton.

Capturing the relaxed spirit of summer to perfection, the season’s must-have cotton canvas totes come in chic neutral shades of beige and indigo or else in fruittee red or yellow stripes, always printed with a bold vintage-style label vaunting Louis Vuitton’s articles de voyage. So too are other totes in Damier Azur canvas, each square of its iconic chequerboard evocative of white sand or clear blue sky. Perfect for the beach, the larger sizes will comfortably hold one of the season’s Monogram or Damier Azur towels, while the smaller totes are ideal for a leisurely stroll or an elegant escapade en ville.

Coordinating with the travel-print totes, chunky wedges in navy, beige or red suede calf leather with natural leather trim exude relaxed sophistication, while flat sandals lend themselves to sightseeing. Alternatively, stylish cork wedges or laid-back thongs in new summer shades of Monogram Vernis dazzle in combination with matching cross-body bags or the diminutive Alma BB.

When silhouettes are short and simple – a slash-neck navy shift or a white shirtdress with natural cowhide leather zip pullers and gold engraved studs, a casual blue light blouse and large white pant tailored by a navy blue belt, for instance – accessories step into the spotlight. The season’s standout sunglasses come with glamorous oversize frames in graphic colours – ideal for attracting admiring glances while repelling the glare of the sun. Around the neck or in the hair, a brightly printed silk scarf or cotton triangle speaks of carefree elegance.

Stacks of sparkling bangles adorn slender, sun-kissed arms, while the Float your Boat theme’s stunning rope necklace, with its yacht and Monogram flower charms in jewel-hued lacquer, pays playful tribute to the nautical heritage of Louis Vuitton.

Take a sunbath. Pull up a deckchair. Roll out a beach towel. Take your place in the sun with Louis Vuitton.

Images via Louis Vuitton

“The spirit of our Spring/Summer 2012 collection is reflected beautifully in this new ad campaign,” says Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Marc Jacobs. “All the tone and texture of the collection – the lightness, the prettiness, the broderie anglaise, the millefeuille layers of organza – are recreated in these wonderful images by Steven Meisel. It is all very soft and very sweet, yet at the same time very bold and very graphic.”

In an intriguing echo of the previous season, the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 advertising campaign once again takes up the narrative of the fashion show, continuing it from the point where the woman steps daintily off the pure white fairground carrousel and into the pastel pink paradise of a nearby ice cream parlor. Like the vintage limousines of the Fall/Winter campaign, this vastly different setting – painstakingly recreated in a New York studio, complete with a mouth-watering array of Chantilly-topped sundaes – provides the perfect showcase for the deliciously sweet, airy concoctions of Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

Up-and-coming models Daria Strokous and Kati Nescher are the lucky pair chosen to sample the parlor’s assorted delights while wearing some of the season’s standout looks, including romantic broderie anglaise dresses, ladylike shifts embellished with strass, studs and 3D flowers, and sorbet- colored suits with white lace collars. Accessories, too, feature prominently in the nine visuals, foremost among them the Lockit bag in sheer nylon voile that opened the runway show, the Speedy in powdered, whitewashed crocodile, and the pointed-toe mules in pastel shades with metal toe caps, dainty laces or rows of tiny buttons. “The whole ambiance is very pretty, very special and very magical,” says Marc Jacobs, “and I’m sure it will look just delicious and fresh come the spring.”

Isabelle des Garets, Advertising and Editions Director for Louis Vuitton, comments: “Once again, Marc Jacobs and Steven Meisel have created a stunning campaign that not only captures the romance and lightness of the runway show, but expresses it in an entirely fresh and playful way – and in a style that is unmistakably Louis Vuitton.”

The Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 advertising campaign will break in the February 2012 issues of magazines worldwide.

Models: Kati Nescher Daria Strokous
Stylist:
Karl Templer
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Hair: Guido Palau
Makeup: Pat McGrath



Video via Louis Vuitton

“A sophomore endeavor in the glare of the spotlight is never easy. Think second books, second albums, second movies. To sharpen the challenge for Kim Jones, Louis Vuitton draws one hell of a spotlight. But in his second season as director of the men’s studio for the brand, Jones aced it. The job agrees with him. He loves travel, which is Vuitton’s lifeblood. He has a connoisseur’s sensibility, again, a Vuitton signature. But Jones also has the kind of endlessly engaged, curatorial attitude to his world that can make memorably graphic connections between people, places, and times. This collection, for example, he called “a tale of two cities,” Paris and Tokyo, capitals of culture that have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship. Georges Vuitton, son of Louis himself, was inspired by Japanese floral paintings while he was developing the iconic monogram.

But Jones was also thinking about a different kind of bridge for Vuitton. He has always loved Antonio Lopez, the fashion illustrator whose visual style helped define the seventies and eighties. Lopez was, according to Jones, one of the first fashion people to ever go to Japan and use its inspiration in his work. He was also an alumnus of the High School of Art and Design in New York. So is Marc Jacobs, Vuitton’s Number One. All of which is a roundabout way of getting to the point that Vuitton’s latest menswear collection made the kind of connections Jones relishes. And that’s even before we get to the fact that Giorgio Moroder, Mister Disco himself, introduced the show, vocoder vox and all, before pressing the button on a soundtrack of his classics.

Under a giant silver globe (for some reason, it echoed Scarface, but maybe that was just because Moroder, who scored the movie, was in the house), Jones marched a consummate collection of new international style down the catwalk. The materials alone took you on a journey: a camel coat with kangaroo fur collar, a trench with crocodile patches, a coat cut from a Vuitton travel blanket, shoes of astrakhan, and, most of all, exquisite silks that had been woven outside Tokyo in a place recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The weaving process is so agonizingly ritualized by tradition that they can produce only 20 centimeters a day. And yet here were whole suits and kimono shirts cut from the stuff. The shirts were used under jackets instead of waistcoats, “a replacement of the three-piece,” said Jones. But counterpointing this traditional stuff were the most advanced techno fabrics, also from Japan. They were cut into reflective outerwear that harked back to Jones’ own collections.

There was detail in the collection that made the head spin—Antonio’s feather and arrow motifs were reproduced by couture ateliers (the feathers hand-painted in the company’s Gaston color scheme), locks on bags were covered in tiny leather sheaths modeled on the signs of the Chinese zodiac. It’s that curatorial thing again. But today it was also the genuine pleasure of an eye for detail meeting a bottomless pocket. The result was a stellar sophomore outing.” – Tim Blanks, Style.com

Gallery:
• Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012 Menswear Collection – Fashion Show
• Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012 Menswear Collection – Backstage
• Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012 Menswear Collection – Celebrities

Images via Louis Vuitton / Ludwig Bonnet

“Disney’s “It’s a Small World” was playing at Louis Vuitton’s presentation. It’s a fitting message; few brands have the global reach of this powerhouse. For pre-fall, design director Julie de Libran opted to expand on the house codes established since Marc Jacobs moved in and began designing ready-to-wear for the company nearly 14 years ago. And she did that through the lens of Charlotte Perriand, the late architect and designer who’s as well-known in France for her personal style as for her prodigious output between the wars.

That meant that the clothes had a vaguely 1940′s feel, with menswear checks bonded to duchesse satin to produce the softened, slightly rounded shapes of car coats and skirtsuits. It also gave de Libran a reason to put a military spin on the proceedings. Trompe l’oeil frogging details dressed up both a baby-doll dress belted high on the waist and a princess coat. As for other house codes, the iconic Stephen Sprouse leopard print made an encore performance on a sharp mohair jacquard pantsuit. The charm factor was high here—see the studded and grommeted berets and the shoes with tufts of fur spilling out. Most important to the brand, however, is the reintroduction of the Papillon bag. Now in a mini size, the cylindrical tote came “debossed” with the LV logo. The world is full of embossed monogram bags, after all.” – Nicole Phelps, Style.com

Images via Louis Vuitton

The Maison Louis Vuitton revisits the business bag, offering two new elegant and contemporary styles for men in iconic Taiga leather: the Néo-Igor and its big brother Néo-Alexander.

For the very first time, the Maison is offering the opportunity to customise not only the exterior of your bag but also the interior to match travellers’ needs. For the Made To Order program, Taiga, the first men’s signature leather created in 1993, is proposed in a rich palette of four colors –Ardoise, Grizzli, Boréal and Glacier. Each of them can be associated with one of the four new colors of lining – burgany, brown, navy and black.

The Maison also offers the freedom of arranging the interior of your bag to correspond to your personal use, with a choice of four pockets designed to hold the business essentials such as a laptop, smart phone, iPad, documents, business cards or a clean spare shirt. The Louis Vuitton Taiga Made To Order service offers the possibility to add or remove the outside leather strap for attaching the bag to the Pegase suitcase and/or a shoulder strap.

In order to offer an unique bag, each owner can have his name laser-engraved on a leather patch in the inside. Totally in tune with modern man’s needs, thanks to more than 2500 combinations, the Néo-igor and the Néo-Alexander are the perfect expression of the Maison’s desire to meet the invidual needs of the most demanding travellers, whether city dwellers or globetrotters.

The Taiga journey continues.

Taïga Néo-Igor (left) & Taïga Néo-Alexander (right) in Ardoise

Video via Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 Catalogue
Photography : Mark Segal
Art Direction: William Snieg
Model : Arizona Muse

Images via Louis Vuitton