The Naked King, Or Louis XVI Vuitton: Rococo And Sportswear In The New Collection Of Nicolas Ghesquière

A month-long fashion marathon has come to an end - today's Louis Vuitton show, which would be more correctly called "Louis XVI Vuitton", was the final in an endless series of shows for spring-summer 2018 collections - there are so many references to menswear in Nicolas Ghesquière's collection - no less campy than women's - the court fashion of the Rococo era, the age of the minuet, lace and powder.

In total, 46 bows turned out, each of which is based on artifacts of a historical costume: a snow-white blouse made of fine silk with lush lace cuffs and a frill, and on top of a swing camisole, or to be more precise, a Vesta with narrow long sleeves - made of satin, silk and velvet, generously decorated with colorful embroidery. Appreciate the historical accuracy, on the catwalk, as in life, the Vesta gradually loses its sleeves and becomes a “veston” or “vest”. It would be logical to continue this description with something like culottes, silk stockings and shoes. But we are, after all, not at a historic ball, so instead of all of the above - running shorts and trainers.

In the Rococo era, such a set would be called "The Naked King". Judge for yourself - a fully equipped upper part, and in the lower, in the language of that time, only "underwear