Up to September 16th, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs devotes an exhibition to the brand Louis Vuitton, more precisely to his founder and his current artistic director Marc Jacobs. As it is divided between two floors, by walking up the stairs you go from the mid-19th century to our 21st century, and yes, the transition is kind of brutal, from half-light to bright pop colours... Nonetheless, the momentary blindness is worth the visual slap.
Back to the Napoleonian Empire under dim lights and cold retro atmosphere. It took me forever to leave the doll and its trousseau, how happy would have I been to play with it as a child ! The clothes seem to be exact reproduction of real dresses and the care of the details and of the material choice is just stunning.
In an other room, full-length wonderful dresses, just have a peek:
One should not forget that Louis Vuitton is above all THE brand of luggage. Here the invention of the bed-box (brilliant, even if the thickness of the mattress was not really a promise for a good night). In two words: CLOTH BOXES EVERYWHERE. Amazing boxes. Huge boxes. And how I regret my sad and ugly weekend suitcase after that...
Bright colours, spots, music. And to the sound of Marc Jacobs' voice, one can wander alongside an entire wall of L.V. handbags, the more daily proof of Louis Vuitton's heritage (well "daily"... it depends on whose daily life, ok...).
If the exposed outfits could talk, they surely would have been grateful for the glass between their precious materials and the visitors' dribble. Actually I probably was one of the open-mouthed people in front of them: creative staging, recent collections, fairy tales dress, a panther in its cage... Just perfect.
Impressions
Before the exhibition, as I only saw the title of it, I expected the subject to be treated chronologically so I was a bit disappointed at first. But here the aim is to oppose two eras, two men, but to keep in mind that it's still the same brand. Moreover, I've found the visit really short, whereas there was much to be seen. By the way, the abundance of objects and clothes, and the radically different atmospheres between the rooms assure a perfect immersion in both era.
That is actually the reason why this exhibition is so interesting. One usually says that fashion is an eternal back to the past, but with this kind of approach of a brand, we can observe that a brand lives and evolves to the rythm of its directors. From Louis Vuitton to Marc Jacobs, the tempo has clearly raced. The importance of luggage and handbags remains, but the conception of clothes are totally different. Of course that is a matter of time. But the personality of the artistic director weighs a lot too.
Even if I think it's a bit delicate to evaluate the impact of a director on a brand whereas his/her career is not over, this exhibition is a great occasion to admire the work of Louis Vuitton who built solid foundations for its renowned brand and the wonderful creativity Marc Jacobs shows to keep the brightness of the name that dazzling.
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