Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2023
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) HoYeon Jung walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 04, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Peter White/Getty Images)

Nicolas Ghesquière was thinking about proportions this season, something that was evident from the moment one stepped into the sprawling set he erected at the Cour Carrée—the courtyard of the Louvre—for Louis Vuitton‘s Spring Summer 2023 runway show. Ghesquière commissioned the French artist Philippe Parreno to create a set piece for the show, and Parreno worked with Hollywood production designed James Chinuld on the remarkable show space, which sat inside a giant red flower (what is it with designers and big flowers this season?)

The supersizing didn’t stop there. From the opening look, modelled once again by Squid Game actress and Louis Vuitton muse HoYeon Jung, Ghesquière showed pieces with blown-up zippers, buckles, and pockets. Two-piece sets featured oversized woven detailing at the shoulders and hips, while quintessentially LV mini dresses, trousers, and sleeveless shirts were affixed with zippers that Ghesquière claims are the largest ever manufactured for a luxury fashion house. Ghesquière’s tenure at Louis Vuitton has been marked by signature silhouettes, including bubble-hemmed skirts, sleek A-line dresses, and oversized puffer jackets. We saw these again today, though affixed with giant buckle trompe-l’œil prints, big statement buttons, and cartoonishly large pockets.

There was a fun interplay between the demure and the punk—little slip dresses in feminine lace were styled with chunky lug-soled boots that came to the knee. Ghesquière later said the phrases “pretty tough” and “threatening beauty” were playing on his mind while he designed the collection, and it’s true that he is a master of creating clothes that feel at once elegant and powerful. Those are words that also capture the cadre of women who adore his designs—the LV front row was jam-packed full of A-listers, from Ana de Armas and Sophie Turner to Jennifer Connelly, Lèa Seydoux, and Phoebe Dynevor. Louis Vuitton is the final show of the season and Ghesquière’s surrealist show was a reminder that we are indeed living through strange and unnerving times. In amongst the chaos, and under the protection of a large wild flower, it was a pleasure to escape for a little while.

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2023
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) A model walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 04, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2023
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: A model walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on October 4, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2023
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: A model walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on October 4, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2023
PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 04: A model walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on October 4, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)