Louis Vuitton Women’s Spring-Summer 2025: Nicolas Ghesquière Launches a Modern Renaissance

Text: Jesse Scott

As he celebrates the culmination of his first decade at Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière launched an exciting new era for Spring-Summer 2025. Exquisitely French, and paying specific homage to Ghesquière’s own Loire Valley background, the collection brought bold new accents to this heritage house while maintaining the traditions of unparalleled craftsmanship and architectural silhouettes for which it has long been known. 

The physical runway itself was the most spectacular of the season.  Models strutted atop an elaborate array of over 1,000 Louis Vuitton trunks before an impeccably dressed audience that included figures such as Zendaya (making her only appearance of this Paris Fashion Week), Jaden Smith, Cate Blanchett, Lisa, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Hoyeon. 

Grace Moretz and Hoyeon arrived in looks that would prove perfectly in step with the theme of the collection, wearing a regal blazer with red accents and a lace-trimmed top with barrel-legged pantalons respectively. Meanwhile, Smith stole the show in terms of accessories, carrying a classic Louis Vuitton-monogrammed bag in the shape of the Arc de Triumph. 

As the opening looks proceeded down the runway, the Renaissance theme of the collection became clear. Ghesquière wanted to do something fresh and bold as he starts his second decade at the brand, and to do that he turned to something old - but timeless. The Renaissance, perhaps the most illustrious age of art and culture and a rich source of inspiration for generations of designers, was reflected by ballooning breeches, vibrant striped patterns, dramatic jewels, and the prints of French artist Laurent Grasso. 

Grasso, a contemporary artist whose vast artistic vocabulary transcends time periods, undertook his conceptually grand while technically precise “Studies into the Past” in 2009. Painted in Renaissance style, and using scientifically accurate Renaissance methods, the series eschews the religious themes typical in works from the era in favor of introducing anachronistic elements that play with our understanding of science, technology and the passage of time.

Ghesquière used three of the paintings as the basis for the fluid and elegantly draped jackets that closed the collection. Paired with long skirts comprised of dramatic strings of cascading jewels, these jackets achieved the same Renaissance sensibility, mystical effect, and surrealist temporal juxtaposition present in Grasso’s works. A Grasso painting also appeared on a stately trunk, with seemingly celestial bodies radiating out of a meticulously detailed Renaissance landscape scene.

Elsewhere in the collection, Ghesquière gracefully embraced the sheer trend that has been a hallmark of the Spring-Summer 2025 season. Whether on barrel-legged breeches, the sleeves of tops, or bejeweled dresses, sheer was reprised throughout the 50-look collection for powerful modern women who effortlessly and unintentionally seduce. On a different note, structured coats in a multi-colored tweed and a cropped black jacket comprised of shimmering black scales were among the strongest silhouettes of the season. 

Possessed of a typical Louis Vuitton savoir faire but perhaps even more prominent this season than in recent years, jewelry and bags played a leading role in setting the mood of the collection.  Almost half of the models wore dramatic yet feminine chains that extended down to their waistlines. Made of metal, and many adorned with the opal shaped stones that also covered many of the garments in a delicate armor, they added a distinct Renaissance (and occasionally Medieval) aura to their respective looks. 

Meanwhile, shoes added a whimsical contemporary flare to the collection. Appearing to have been constructed of trunk handles, and available in a range of colors from classic black and camel to a funky mix of red and yellow, the heels represented a wholly new direction for the house and were met with widespread approval from guests. 

Many models carried two purses as they walked down the runway, and given the many amazing options on display, double bags might become automatic for Louis Vuitton’s loyal clients next season. The Petite Malle trunk starred, with versions in dazzling 18-karat gold and sheepskin-lined Micah stone immediately catching my eye.  For those who prefer a more vintage look that pays tribute to the brand’s heritage, a trompe l'œil Petite Malle designed to look like three stacked Louis Vuitton trunks is an essential. Meanwhile, side trunks in emerald and vivid green offered a vibrant contrast to a largely dark-toned collection. 

This editor’s favorite bag of the season came from Louis Vuitton. The revolutionary fan clutch, offered in the classic Monogram pattern and Damier Azur, structurally referenced a Japanese hand fan down to the smallest details. Effortlessly elegant, with a certain aristocratic air, it’s a versatile and downright swoon-worthy piece that should be on the top of every women’s wishlist for next summer. Given the advent of Japanese-inspired silhouettes throughout the fashion industry, I fully expect this Ghesquière piece to start a trend that lasts for seasons to come. 

One of the final events of a marathon fashion month, the Louis Vuitton show offered a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past while looking towards the future. Like Grasso’s art, Ghesquière’s collection allowed us to time-travel over centuries, from the Medieval period and Renaissance through the origin of the Louis Vuitton legend (the brand was founded in 1854) to the revolutionary technologies and silhouettes that are shaping fashion today. 

Always attuned to the avant-garde while committed to tradition, Louis Vuitton referenced many key sartorial and conceptual themes for Spring-Summer 2025 through a show that was cleverly constructed in all ways. Ghesquière is charging into his second decade at the brand with both vivacity and poise, and we are all eagerly anticipating the next chapter.