Nauseatingly Stimulating. Louis Vuitton Resort 2027

May 21, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s very easy to dismiss – and even dislike – Nicolas Ghesquière’s contemporary work. His vision for Louis Vuitton feels so far removed from any broadly accepted notion of good taste, and so detached from the mainstream trend cycle, that it can easily be written off as a mad hatter’s prank. It’s worth noting, however, that not every designer enjoys the luxury of creating ready-to-wear that does not necessarily have to sell. At Vuitton, Nicolas seems to possess virtually boundless freedom to experiment, with little visible pressure placed upon him.

Of all the destination shows we’ve seen this month – Chanel’s Biarritz extravaganza, Dior’s take on Hollywood, and Gucci’s invasion of Times Square – Ghesquière’s New York presentation at the Frick Collection was probably the least eventful in terms of Instagram appeal, yet the most complex from a design perspective. Every look proposes an idea that attempts to reinvent the wheel – sometimes with promise, sometimes veering spectacularly off course.

What he does with scuba-inspired constructions, ornamented with an idiosyncratic bricolage of Edwardian ruffles, is genuinely splendid. The Keith Haring prints, however, come across as unapologetically tacky. There are Annie Hall hats; Alana Haim dressed like a character straight out of “The Panic in Needle Park“; and then Gilded Age cameos emerging through ruffles swirling around necks above lace bodices. It’s excessive – and that’s before even mentioning the 1980s-inspired, shoulder-padded dresses layered over clouds of tulle. If Hanna Horvath was a trust fund baby, she would love Louis Vuitton.

Nothing here entirely works, but then again, this is New York: a metropolis that fuses together countless walks of life into one overwhelming whole. Perhaps that is the collection’s real point. Whatever the case, Nicolas’s understanding of fashion challenges both the eye and the mind in a way that is almost nauseatingly stimulating.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Open Mind. Louis Vuitton AW26

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

It seems to me that Nicolas Ghesquière has rediscovered a sense of joy in making fashion. That wasn’t always so evident in his 1980s-heavy collections, but his latest Louis Vuitton outing feels like the work of an open mind. It brings together three distinct “energies,” vividly clashing yet glued by a kind of transcendental, almost shroom-like aura.

First, there is a collage-like engagement with global cultures. Cultural appropriation is one thing, but in the past decade, a growing fear of being called out – or cancelled – for drawing on other traditions has made fashion increasingly cautious about referencing the world’s diverse beauty. So it feels refreshing to see Ghesquière approach Turkish kepeneks, Mongolian steppe deels, and Nepalese topi hats with such confidence, but also with respect. He manages to celebrate these traditions by sublimating their magnificence, never reducing them to caricature.

The second “energy” sees Nicolas returning to his Balenciaga years – autumn/winter 2002, to be precise – reviving a sense of generous, bounty fluidity in his dresses. Those sent down the Louis Vuitton runway feel effortless, and cool. Words that didn’t always roll off the tongue when considering his recent collections.

And the third? For the first time in over a decade at the house, Ghesquière seems to subtly nod to Marc Jacobs – not in any literal sense, but in his attitude toward fashion. There’s wit, a sense of play, a tongue-in-cheek irreverence. A cone-shaped hat paired with a voluminous bomber jacket and cropped trousers, or a fabulously cluttered blazer with boxy shoulders, recalls Jacobs’s years at Vuitton, when each show existed as a self-contained fantasy.

That newly found, almost defiant I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-anyone-thinks spirit suits Ghesquière well. It might also explain why the collection didn’t resonate with everyone. After all, people tend to resent it when someone is having just a little too much fun. Human nature!