The Fashion Oligarchy at Louis Vuitton
@ 11:32 pm March 2, 2008Filed under: Photos
Email This Post
Print This Post
Subscribe to our Feed via email trackback
PARIS, Mar 2, 2008 / FW/ — Fashion is not a democracy, there is a ruling class; and just like during the middle ages, the oligarchs are separated from the peasants. And where else will the fashion oligarchy hang out but at the most exclusive fashion brand - Louis Vuitton.
Sofia Coppola, Lee Radziwill, Gemma Arterton, Yves Carcelle (President, Louis Vuitton), Milla Jovovich, Lapo Elkann, Bianca Brandolini
The house of Louis Vuitton, with Marc Jacobs as Artistic Director, closed Paris fashion week with its Fall Winter 2008-2009 collection in the historic “Cour Carrée” of the Louvre.
Lisa Ababsa, Gonzales, Mélanie Laurent, Alice Bamford, Wes Anderson, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Yves Carcelle, President of Louis Vuitton received the international press and such exceptional personalities as Sofia Coppola, Ziyi Zhang, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Wes Anderson, Kanye West, Milla Jovovich, Lee Radziwill, Mélanie Laurent, Gemma Arterton, Gonzales, Shilpa Shetty, Lapo Elkann, Hidetoshi Nakata, Dita von Teese to name but a few.
 Antoine Arnault, Sofia Coppola, Lee Radziwill, Gemma Arterton, Ziyi Zhang, Yves Carcelle (Président, Louis Vuitton), Milla Jovovich, Lapo Elkann, Bianca Brandolini |
 Pietro Beccari, Sofia Coppola, Yves Carcelle (President, Louis Vuitton), Lee Radziwill, Gilles Dufour |
(Photos by Bertrand Rindoff Petrov, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, click on thumbnail to see bigger photo.)
Who are the members of the fashion oligarchy? Are they fashion houses, journalists, photographers, fashion designers, celebrities, financiers, corporate leaders? Actually, all of them can be members of the fashion oligarchy, but there is a rite of passage that needs to be followed though no one really knows what the rites are.
 Kanye West, Alexis Phifer, Marc Jacobs |
 Peter Beard, Yves Carcelle (President, Louis Vuitton), Kanye West, Pietro Beccari |
(Photos by Bertrand Rindoff Petrov, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, click on thumbnail to see bigger photo.)
For fashion houses, it has to reach a certain level of popularity. Louis Vuitton’s place in the fashion oligarchy is assured, and so do Christian Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.
Yet, though Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix and Emanuel Ungaro are well-known names, their seats are not as permanent as the previously named houses. Why that is so will take a very long treatise that is actually outside the prevue of this article. The only thing that can be said is this, getting to be part of the fashion oligarchy is not a permanent thing except for a chosen few.
Think of the United Nations Security Council wherein five countries have permanent seats while the other members have revolving seats. How does one get a permanent seat, no one really know how.
 Antoine Arnault, Lapo Elkann, Bianca Brandolini |
 Shilpa Shetty, Antoine Arnault |
(Photos by Bertrand Rindoff Petrov, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, click on thumbnail to see bigger photo.)
For journalists, photographers, fashion designers, celebrities, financiers, corporate leaders, the criteria is similar – level of popularity and/or importance. Now, who judges that is truly interesting because it almost like a jury, but not necessarily of your peers.
 Gaia Repossi, Rudi Caltajirone |
 Santogold, Spankrock |
 Yohji Yamamoto, Hidetoshi Nakata |
 Maggie Gyllenhaal |
 Milla Jovovich |
(Photos by Bertrand Rindoff Petrov, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, click on thumbnail to see bigger photo.)
Public opinion counts a lot especially for celebrities Milla Jovovich, Zhang Ziyi, Dita Von Teese and Kanye West. Yet for corporate leaders, it is actually Wall Street (or in this case, the French equivalent of Wall Street), in short the bottom line has a lot to do with it.
 Dita Von Teese |
 Marc Jacobs, Gemma Arterton |
 Marc Jacobs, Mélanie Laurent |
 Marc Jacobs, Zhang Ziyi |
 Sofia Coppola, Marc Jacobs |
(Photos by Bertrand Rindoff Petrov, courtesy of Louis Vuitton, click on thumbnail to see bigger photo.)
And as we go through the list, the criteria become harder to pinpoint. So, for now, let us just look at the fashion oligarchy as identified by Louis Vuitton.
Comments»
[...] The Fashion Oligarchy at Louis Vuitton [...]
[...] The Fashion Oligarchy at Louis Vuitton [...]