Maison éToile, Rome

MANILA, Philippines - The Louis Vuitton Maison étoile on Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome is a three-store cinematic experience, with an art nouveau facade. Located in Rome’s oldest movie theater, the boutique channels the spirit of movies during the golden age of silent cinema and is a glamorous venue for non-Hollywood short art films of today.

Formerly called Lux et Ombra (literally “Light and Shadow” describing yesteryear’s black-and-white films) in 1907, the theater was restored in 1970 and was called Cinema Etoile. Due to lack of patronage, it was closed in 1991.

It took Louis Vuitton three years to complete the renovation and, by 2012, the Etoile was reborn. And what a star! Everything in the store is inspired by cinema as it once was. Jiri Georg Dokoupil’s inkjet mural made up of tiny movie reels and printed on LV’s eponymous canvas, is at the entrance of the store. A dramatic opera house-style staircase, with lights positioned to mimic film sprocket holes, invites customers to go upstairs and perhaps feel like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. There is a bookshop of LV travel books and selected art books and a large movie screen that continuously shows short movies for free. The place seats 18 very comfortably.

Peter Marino, the architect of all Louis Vuitton boutiques and most of its owner’s — LVMH — facilities, retained the original skylight on the second floor, bathing the 1200-square-meter store in Roman sunshine. The furniture was selected by the architect to simulate small saletti, home-like salons within the store, where customers can relax, have coffee, and shop.

This boutique has a private salon that offers the services of the Haute Maroquinerie. As in other large Vuitton stores in major cities around the world, a customer can personalize an iconic bag or trunk of his choice in the color and skin that he wants.

Louis Vuitton continues to build from its creative past and goes beyond just selling pieces of its legend. Through the Maison étoile, it collaborates with the oldest Italian school for teaching, research, and experimentation in the field of cinematography, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, and sponsoring scholarships for young artists and filmmakers.

Louis Vuitton links art and cinema and fuses its historical products — the unique canvas material, metal studs and lockets, even original shapes — to make modern products that please today’s customers. And these customers appreciate that, as they use their LVs, they carry with them more than 160 years of passion for craftsmanship and style.

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In the Philippines, the Louis Vuitton store is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.