Louis Vuitton shows flouncy, layered looks at the Louvre for Paris Fashion Week

By Mimosa Spencer

PARIS (Reuters) – Louis Vuitton womenswear designer Nicolas Ghesquiere showed a lineup of layered looks with short, flouncy skirts and puffy-sleeved jackets for the label’s spring-summer outing on Tuesday, the last day of Paris Fashion Week.

Set up in a temporary venue in a courtyard of the Louvre Museum, the runway was fashioned out of a mishmash of trunk facades. It ran through the centre of the space, and marked the start of the show by rising up into a podium.

Out came the models, parading tops that were cinched at the waist, their long necklaces and loosely fastened neckties swinging.

The pace quickened through the show, even as the silhouettes grew longer to include robe-like overcoats that swept the floor and loose, bohemian trousers.

Handbags came in all shapes and sizes, with some models carrying more than one, stacked like jewellery.

Shoe styles nodded to the brand’s leatherworking background, with laid-back flats made of fat, mismatching leather straps while dressy heels featured patches of leather with a twist in the middle.

Sitting in the front row, LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault broke into a grin when Ghesquiere bounced down the runway for his bow at the end of the show. Sitting next to him, French first lady Brigitte Macron, who is known to wear Vuitton for official outings, blew the designer a kiss.

Paris Fashion Week started on Sept. 23, with catwalk shows from dozens of brands including Dior, Kering-owned Saint Laurent, Hermes, Chanel and Victoria Beckham.

(Reporting by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Sandra Maler)