Nicolas Ghesquiere

Legendary. Balenciaga AW07

| Design & Culture by Ed

After Nicolas Ghesquière’s latest show for Louis Vuitton, staged among the old masters and Gilded Age grandeur of the Frick Collection, my affection for him returned with a bang. The collection left me perplexed. Confused, even. But confused in a good way – the kind of confusion that sends you back into the archives looking for answers. Which is exactly how I ended up revisiting one of the great Ghesquière collections: Balenciaga autumn-winter 2007.

And let me tell you: whatever Ghesquière and his team were on that season, I want some. Because it’s extraordinarily rare for an entire design studio, together with a stylist, to arrive at something so wicked, tweaked, spectacular and utterly forward-looking. Nearly two decades later, it still feels as if it landed from another planet. READ MY FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Nauseatingly Stimulating. Louis Vuitton Resort 2027

| 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

| 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!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Eccentric Madame. Louis Vuitton SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

The eccentric madame envisioned by Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton never ceases to confuse – and to intrigue. In the summer apartments of Anne d’Autriche at the Louvre, a parade of crystal-embellished silk vests, beaded fringe top-and-pants sets that evoked Impressionist landscapes, and historic-looking robes and capes made their royal entrance. One look – a pastel-blue cloak paired with a matching turban-like hat – gave big dumpling energy and made me smile. Then there were the genuinely lovely, extra-fluffy knitted pieces with tubular necks and balloon sleeves. At times, it’s hard to keep up with the cascade of ideas Ghesquière sends down his Louis Vuitton runway. But perhaps that’s precisely the charm.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Medieval Chic. Louis Vuitton Resort 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

You know I’m pretty much always on fence with Nicolas Ghesquière’s Louis Vuitton. But the collection he presented yesterday at the 14th century Palais des Papes in Avignon? It was brilliant. The Ghesquière-for-Balenciaga kind of brilliant.

The designer’s far-flung destination shows have consistently outshone his Paris ready-to-wear collections. Remember that time he whisked his guests away to Palm Springs? When Rianne Van Rompaey (who retired from modeling this year) wore a billowy, 1930s-inspired maxi dress and dramatically cranked up the high-end loudspeaker as the show began? Not only was that défilé spectacular, but the clothes were equally impressive – both inventive and cool. The Avignon collection had that signature edgy NG flair, the one that we all so sorely missed in the past few seasons or so.

For resort 2026, Nicolas embraced Medieval dress and transformed it into a surprisingly modern proposition. We live in an era where wearing an armor would come handy. Women’s rights and bodily autonomy continue to face threats, from Trump’s administration in the U.S. to rising conservative movements across Europe, including in France. Whether through a literal interpretation of chainmail in the form of a tasseled, metallic top, or via rounded, architectural capes – and in some cases, curtain-like mini-capelets worn over mini-dresses – this show offered plenty of armor. These pieces didn’t just look protective and built-up; they were, in their own way, chic. Ghesquière even seemed to pay homage to his spiritual predecessor, his alma papa, Cristóbal Balenciaga, sending down the runway several intricately embellished, t-shirt-like mini-dresses that felt like modern descendants of the Basque designer’s iconic sack dress.

I also sensed a hint of time travel back to the 1968 Paris protests. The Sorbonne students’ anti-bourgeois style – ironically lifted from their parents’ wardrobes – surfaced in elements like newsboy caps, fur-collared jackets, and a layered skirt made from plaid blanket fabric. The collection’s hero motif – paisley – looked like something salvaged from a thrift store and revitalized with edge. Meanwhile, a wool cape adorned with cartoon-strip flames seemed to leap from Pierre Cardin’s studio, where the designer once dreamed up a bright, space-age future.

Louis Vuitton is a brand that sells bags. Ready-to-wear – especially the one presented on the runway – isn’t it’s bread-and-butter. Nicolas Ghesquière occupies a uniquely rare position of creative freedom – and commands a vast platform – to make fashion that doesn’t need to sell, but rather to spark conversation. This collection was certainly his brightest, envelope-pushing moment in the past couple of years.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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