Cruise shows embrace extremes that ready-to-wear cannot touch: far-flung destinations; multi-layered film and outdoor catwalk extravaganzas, starry front rows plus parties galore. The small number of luxury brands that go big on cruise – namely Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Fendi – means there’s more ‘space’ to make an impression and more ‘space’ to spend where it counts. Guests were flown and chaperoned around L.A. for Dior; to NYC for Gucci; to Biarritz for Chanel; back to NYC for Hermes early June its Chapter 2 collection. That’s a spike on air miles.
Where the logic behind Cruise collections was once to offer a timely delivery of winter sunshine vacay garms in November, now it’s less about climate and more about fuelling the high gifting season with collectibles and novelties. Why the focus on the U.S.? The answer lies in the nation’s 0.1% of superlatively wealthy individuals and a newly loaded generation of Nepo inheritors benefitting from the great wealth transfer.
Chanel
But the Cruise route started with Matthieu Blazy’s giddy line-up revealed at the Art Deco Casino Municipal in Biarritz, the chic seaside town where Coco Chanel first set up shop.
With a view over the Atlantic (and thoroughly scrubbed up sand beaches), Blazy rejoiced in the fruits of the sea including lace and crochet dresses that looked like coral; deck chair stripe skirt suits; Mariner knits and classic bathing caps reimagined by Chanel milliner, Maison Michel. Sea horses and shells were embedded into tweed weaves and appliqued into circle skirts – Blazy is a master at 3D.
Touché: we love the ‘neck deco’ featuring silk scarves and chain necklaces; the thigh split skirts worn with bunched-sleeve shackets exposing fanciful print linings.
Dior
Maverick JW Anderson will be involved as creative consultant on no less three forthcoming Hollywood movies including Luca Guadagngino’s AI drama Artificial. That’s A LOT but Anderson takes his ventures in his stride. So, he took Dior to L.A. and set up stage at the newly expanded David Geffen Galleries at LACMA (a $724m project by Peter Zumthor) creating a parking lot scene. Hollywood legends – watcha Al Pacino! and pop stars Cyrus and Carpenter were out in force.
He invoked Grace Kelly in curvy bar jackets worn with ripped jeans (yes, Couture denim is back); Gloria Swanson in feather-trimmed boudoir coats and Cary Grant in lounge suits.
Gifting season? A sequin Cadillac bag revived from John Galliano’s era and a plaid shirt emblazoned with Ed Ruscha’s word art would make a dream duo.
Louis Vuitton
With equal cultural heft, Louis Vuitton chose the just reopened Frick Museum in uptown New York as a venue where guests could admire the grace of Selldorf Architect’s $220m extension. The line-up was an explosive mash-up of downtown/uptown New Yorker style laced with that Patricia Field SATC wrong is right kookiness.
Ghesquiere had discovered a 1930s suitcase in the archive that had been given a Keith Haring doodle makeover back in the 1980s: cue punky pop art get-ups. There were swirling denim rara skirts and belted leather jackets; metallic sports shorts and Haring graffiti tops; jeans featuring a trompe l’oeil print of worn stained denims, flamenco frilled boleros topping bodysuits and Diane Keaton Derby hats aplenty. The show marked the beginning of a three-year patron partnership between Louis Vuitton and the Frick.
Takeaways? A sequinned Chinese takeaway carton shaped evening bag and a mini Haring doodle briefcase.
Gucci
Demna went for a democratic open-air show and launched Gucci Core at a Times Square takeover. It was teased with a hilarious billboard show of Gucci-fied products including Gucci chocolate, Gucci water, Gucci pets, cars and longevity drugs. The Core collection will be a year-round offer of Gucci ‘staples’ that sweep from exec pinstriped suits, fake fur capes, lacquered denim, revived Flora blouses and scarves (the print debuted in 1966) and diva evening dresses as worn by Cindy Crawford. The New York moment was set on fire by the appearance of New Yorkers such as Tom Brady, Paris Hilton and interior designer @eyeswoon, on the runway.
Gucci for all? Demna looked back to the Tom Ford heyday of lifestyle marketing (remember the black Gucci mask and flippers?) and put the house stripes on everything from yoga mat carriers to back packs and water bottles.
Fendi
A Roman in Rome: Maria Grazia Chiuri released cruise through a film and lookbook and propelled her take on pragmatic glamour seen at her Fendi debut in March. The film nodded to Histoire d’Eau, Jacques de Bascher’s 1977 short commissioned by Karl Lagerfeld to coincide with Fendi’s first ready-to-wear collection.
The fictional star is a German tourist named Suzie, who explores Rome through a series of mysterious encounters and a wardrobe of linear coats, long pleat goddess dresses and sequin-embroidered split pencil skirts.
The Souvenir? A parchment lined studded leather and suede Baguette.