Checks, please: Louis Vuitton’s ode to Damier
Jane Birkin and Franciose Hardy are seemingly alike: They are both French iconic beauties of the ’60s, both artistes in singing and acting, and their brown manes even sported the same blunt bangs.
The difference lies in their self-expression. Jane sang in an airy and, at times, controversially erotic manner suggestive of her sartorial style. Take, for example, her famous sheer white lace dress with a navel-deep neckline barely held together with a crystal brooch.
Francoise, with her voice low and hypnotic, cared more about the cool than the carnal, wearing bold black and white striped shirts, newspaper boy caps, and leather jackets.
Marc Jacobs took cues from these fundamental dualities for the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2013 women’s collection. While Einstein on the Beach Knee Play 5 by Philip Glass sets the lyrical stage, the models walk in pairs, descending and ascending from four escalators onto a set of yellow and white glass squares.
From afar they are like Diane Arbus twins with bows tied around their beehive hairs. The glaring nuances are found in the details, such as a difference in hem length or inversion of colors. Even the dominant checkered pattern gives us a further narrative of these oppositions: between the two colors of each grid, between the shiny and matt textures, and between presence and absence.
This blueprint was inspired by the art installation “Les Deux Plateaux” by Daniel Buren, where columns of varying heights occupy a grid in on the courtyard of Palais Royal in Paris. But perhaps even more obvious is Jacobs’ big nod to the original Louis Vuitton pattern: the Damier. The Monogram was nowhere in sight.
The men’s collection, under the direction of Kim Jones, also gives a salute to the Damier via the messenger bags, neon Keepalls, and mini-trunks. In the clothing line, Jones takes his wanderlust by means of seafaring to design your not-so-typical nautical collection. There are shocks of fluorescent scuba and surf ensembles interspersed between relaxed (read: not skinny) suits in navy and white. In the sprit of traveling across oceans, he also takes fabrics and prints from Bali for neckerchiefs, and Japanese Bora denims and silk seersuckers to create kimono-esque lines in his separates.
In Hong Kong, where we celebrate the reopening of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Place global store, we have a little chat with Kim Jones himself. Creative director of Preview magazine Vince Uy suggests a trip to the Philippines to explore indigenous fabrics woven by our locals that vary regionally. Jones responds, “I’ve always wanted to go. Tarsiers are one of my favorite animals in the world!”
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Louis Vuitton Pacific Place in Hong Kong now offers the bespoke handbag service, Haute Maroquinerie. Clients will be able to create their own Louis Vuitton bag by choosing the bag shape, materials, color, finish and hardware. This service will be available in Manila for a limited time only in February 2013.
In the Philippines, Louis Vuitton is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.
