Good Times at Louis Vuitton
By Timothy Hagy
(Photos by Gruber-FWD)
PARIS, Jan 25, 2003/ FW/ --- On Saturday night, Marc Jacobs sent out one of the strongest
collections in recent memory for Louis Vuitton.
In past seasons, the American designer has chosen camping and ski themes, when he
concentrated more on the luggage and accessories side of the business.
But things have been upbeat at Vuitton recently, with sales figures out last week showing
stock at the parent company, LVMH, up 3.5%.
A strong increase in the Japanese market has Vuitton's turnover alone up by 15% for the past
year.
Vuitton and Dior have long been the driving force of LVMH, keeping Bernard Arnault happy
even in difficult economic times.
The brightness seen in Paris this season stands in stark comparison to the gloom descending
on Milan earlier this month, especially at the House of Gucci, where sales figures have
fallen harder than the snow.
Whatever the inspiration, Autumn/Winter 2003-04 at Vuitton saw a rather handsome collection
on the runway.
Suits were designed with a fine, square shoulder cut, and were worn with "cigarette" pants
that held tightly to the silhouette.
Cashmere found it's way into coats and vests and sweaters, giving that opulent touch to one
of the world's premier luxury labels.
Aged alligator skin made for a stunning windbreaker worn with wool pants.
The real tour de force, however, was the finale, which began with a tuxedo paired with a
pale rose silk shirt encrusted with ebony and rosewood collar studs and cuff links.
The chic evening look also incorporated various combinations of pants, trenches and vests
sewn of glazed buffalo leather, and colored chestnut to ice and sky blue.
It was a strong show, and in a departure from seasons past, not a single Louis Vuitton sack
appeared.
One thing hasn't changed though: Marc Jacobs still has an eye for beautiful models.
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