In an exclusive presentation for regional fashion journalists at the Peak in Hong Kong two weeks ago, Louis Vuitton showed its 2014 Cruise Collection inspired by iconic elements from the ’70s and ’80s, including chambray ensembles, wooden slip-on clogs, short cotton and silk dresses and blouses in stripes, gingham and floral prints.
As envisioned by LV creative director Marc Jacobs and chief women’s design director Julie de Libran, the collection is inspired by the bohemian woman with her penchant for layering, ad hoc approach to dressing and mix-matching colors and prints.
There were also Chanel-inspired tweedy coats, blouses and jackets with frayed, contrasting trimmings and huge, geometric pockets. Floral prints featured dainty but chic flowers.
Bold gingham prints found their way in dresses, double-breasted jackets, skirts and even platform wedges.
Platforms with less-dizzying heel heights shared the limelight with classic and pointed stilettos made of leather and python.
Even as they exuded the ’70s vibe, LV slip-on wooden clogs were less chunky and threatening than the original inspirations. The same restraint was evident in ankle boots and loafers
that referenced the ’80s.
What some shoes lacked in heft, they more than made up for in embellishments. Casual footwear, including an attractive pair of python loafers, had rivets.
Apart from comfy moccasin slip-ons, the LV Cruise Collection also had slippers in leather and denim and barely-there two-strap sandals.
For more dressy evenings, women can choose from a line of open-toe footwear in leather and suede with either platform or conventional heels.
Since the clothes were meant to be worn on holidays during a shift in seasons, LV gave women various options to layer and uncover.
During balmy weather in some island-resort, for instance, women may choose to pair an A-line cotton skirt with a sleeveless silk top inspired by the LV bandana. At the same time, they have plenty of light jackets, cover-ups and even hooded windbreakers to choose from should temperatures dip.
The collection won’t be complete without LV’s “it” bags. For this season, Jacobs and his collaborators opted for a continuation of the reinterpretation of the classic Damier print.
This time, though, bags— totes, pochettes and clutches— come in orange, yellow and light-gray versions of the iconic Damier print.
According to an LV press material, the season’s “star” bag is a “reinterpretation of the 2013 Fall-Winter show’s crocodile pochette, this time in sublimely supple Taurillon leather.”
It can be worn casually slung across the body or carried nonchalantly folded in one’s hand. The luxury brand’s iconic Sac Plat was also reinterpreted using exotic leather patchwork.
From looking like an expensive toiletry bag, the Sac Plat has morphed into a chic clutch that underscores the LV woman’s style come early 2014: carefree and fashionably bohemian.