The Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2024 collection came with starry-eyed bunnies

Nicolas Ghesquière’s latest collection for Louis Vuitton plays with the subtle and sculptural, with its motifs striking with motocross, mod and a touch of whimsy.

At the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai, Nicolas Ghesquière’s runway flowed through stark white walls and bright fluorescent lights. As with any Louis Vuitton presentation, the location is always carefully considered; at the Pre-Fall 2024 show, the monochrome setting would contrast with the house’s pre-fall collection, punctuated by 3D cartoon animals printed in full saturation. In collaboration with Chinese artist Sun Yitian, her graphic prints – a cheetah, a penguin, a zebra and a pink bunny, whose starry eyes captured the house’s fleur de lys – adorned the fronts of leather-strapped car jackets, shirt dresses and miniskirts that inspired the dress covered. asymmetrical chiffon hems.

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton

And these vibrant prints weren’t the only way Ghesquière played: after the show of fashionable silhouettes came experimenting with prints, cutouts and layering. One quilted vest can be zipped down, elongating the shoulder and revealing a hint of turquoise. If the utilitarian take on jutting shoulders isn’t already a throwback to his previous collections, he showcases mini puff sleeves as part of a series of painted flowers. In a palette of deep green and magenta, pale pink and orange, and baby blue, yellow and birch wood, he presented mini dresses with a sculptural bow and skirts with ruffled fabric trails. The flowy quality of the pieces acts as a beautiful bridge between his spring 2024 collection and autumn, with which the finale of his pre-fall collection makes a direct connection.

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton

The final looks featured oversized leather vests adorned with silver hardware, cropped coats with fur layers and dresses that bubbled up to suggestive volumes, in the neutral tones that accentuated his grand 10th anniversary show at the Cour Carée du Louvre. Because this collection immediately follows that sentimental, self-referential show, Ghesquière’s designs have never felt more confident. As he draws from his design features and adds a sense of newness, he points a direction, towards a destination we can’t wait to traverse next.

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/courtesy of Louis Vuitton