With a ride like that, the harried buzz of central Hong Kong’s cathedrals of commerce seems so far away. And even more so as you approach the party destination in Repulse Bay, a soothing slice of paradise in the hyperkinetic city. A most enlightened choice to show the imaginative offerings of the Louis Vuitton 2007 pre-fall collection. (Summer’s ending but it’s not quite fall yet and with unpredictable global weather, what’s a girl to wear?) If you haven’t had enough in the car, there’s more champagne and caviar to savor as you contemplate the mountains and the sea to put you in the right frame of mind. But there were too many man-made things indoors to feast our eyes on. First off, there were rare vintage trunks from the ’20s and even an antique men’s one from 1885. This was dream luggage  imagine separate compartments for clothes, accessories and intimate wear. And one with all the drawers and hangers to save you the trouble of unpacking for every destination! Displayed in the trunks were all the objects of desire to covet before autumn sets in: metallized calf-leather bags debossed with the monogram motif. Glazed multiplatform shoes in rich colors of mulberry wine purple, cranberry red and moonriver aqua. Bronzed floral brooches and cuffs embellished with mohair. And the piece de resistance: a Murukami print trunk containing 33 Marilyn bags, each individually silkscreened in one of the 33 different color incarnations of the print. There will only be five trunks of its kind available in the world, each with a price tag of approximately 1.7 million Hong Kong dollars. At least choosing the right bag to match an outfit will never be a problem.
But save some trunk space for the gorgeous frocks. For the transition from summer to fall, Marc Jacobs invites us to an aristocrat’s house party in the English countryside in the ’20s. This was a golden age of elegance in dress and manners when women would don outdoor tweeds by day and seductive silks by night. They would actually dress for every occasion, sometimes changing up to four times a day. With the choices Jacobs gives the woman of today, she can very well do so even now.
Hunting and high glamour are the twin inspirations, with the masculine and the feminine interwoven in a collection that updates the charmed life of a past era with the subtle codes of modernity. To start an active day, classic men’s tailoring sets the tone with a deep evergreen hunter’s check jacket and slim pants cinched high on the waist with a gold art nouveau buckle, all worn with flat-heeled riding boots. Elbow-length knit gloves with loop gold buttons finish the look. A suit-skirt ensemble in fawn beige is another option, with fur accent on the collar and a moss-colored blouse adorned with a bronze necklace of sculpted flowers. Another version comes in the traditional Prince of Wales check but enlarged both in pattern and in volume for the short skirt and paired with a fitted jacket, making it of-the-moment and perfect from day to night. Jacobs always manages to play with proportions to good measure, giving luxurious materials and cuts an undercurrent of street style for a more offhanded glamour and a touch of irony. The country man’s corduroy jacket is exaggerated in size and looks fabulous with one of the beaded LoVe T-shirts and a must-covet mini skirt gathered and flirtatiously swagged by coat buttons. Worn with the flat-heeled riding boots, the hunter’s look even becomes cool clubwear.
Evenings are pure seduction with silk and satin cocktail dresses evoking the fluid silhouette of the flapper, in colors suggestive of the countryside in autumn – varying shades of brown and khaki, warmed by coral and gold, alongside tones of grey from pale blue and lilac to darkest slate. We particularly adore the gold silk organza dress with velvet trim and delicate straps echoing summer’s lingerie inspiration. To add volume, not to mention a feeling of luxurious warmth, the dress has been lined with mink at the hem. How rich and sexy is that? Only the wearer knows the concealed fur is there, unless she so chooses to reveal it with a crossing of her legs or a swing of her hips. More allusions to the boudoir surface in a dark slate top with hook-and-eye fastenings on the bodice. The skirt heralds the print of the season, a reinterpretation of summer’s floral theme with a photo-print bouquet in silver, grey and black. Perhaps the most stunning for the evening is the flapper dress with the exaggerated flaps or flounces, made of seven different fabrics, from silks to satins and velvets, in seven different shades of slate. The flaps even create a bustle for more volume. Although this is a prêt-a-porter collection, a lot of couture elements in cut, construction and embellishment are evident. Handcrafted detailing is as intricate and rich as ever, with embroidery, braiding, flashes of fur and other adornments bringing a touch of luxe to rougher fabrics.
With the exception of the sporty, flat-heeled riding boots, which go well with fitted pants as well as short skirts, the shoes of the season are generally high-heeled and chunky to counterbalance the straight, delicate flapper looks. Platform pumps reference the classic perforations of men’s brogues in glazed calf leather but with a handmade patina. Fur-lined ankle boots and half-boots with lace-up details add a sexy twist. For the most directional shoes, secure a pair of the new multiplatform pumps that come in glazed calf and lizard, in an elaborate patchwork of velvet or in precious satin for evening.
Bags to keep an eye out for? Aside from the Marilyn bags, don’t miss the the two soft styles in metallic calf leather debossed with the Monogram motif then hand-brushed for a rich bronze finish. They have contrasting corners that lend a slightly rugged feel, counterbalanced by an antique aged Louis Vuitton S-lock.
To channel the ’20s which will be big next season, one of the LV bowed headbands can do the trick, but beware of total flapper dress-headband looks which can appear costumey if not downright dowdy. With the fitted jackets and voluminous short skirts, the reference is not too obvious and can even be a counterpoint. It has to be a modern reinvention of the ’20s so mix it with other periods and references so it’s updated and not too obvious. Understated quality and subtle refinement are the key words. It worked in the ’20s and still works quite well today. Just look at Louis Vuitton  it’s been doing it for 153 years. And its offerings now, as when it started, are as desirable as ever!
In the Philippines the Louis Vuitton shop is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati, with telephone number 756-0637.