Sofia Coppola is muse for Louis Vuitton's Cruise collection

MANILA, Philippines - Marc Jacobs and his creative team at Louis Vuitton couldn’t have found a better muse than Sofia Coppola. The designer and director have been friends for years. And when Coppola premiered her movie Somewhere last December, she turned to Louis Vuitton for her red-carpet outfit.

LV design director Julie de Libran designed a special piece for Coppola — whose cult following among film lovers has been growing since her first film The Virgin Suicides and the sleeper hit Lost in Translation — a dress with stripes and sequins.

For Louis Vuitton’s 2012 Cruise collection, Coppola was both muse and artistic collaborator, bringing her ideas and desires to the design studio.

Shown to Asian journalists two days before the opening of the Louis Vuitton Island Maison Singapore, the Cruise collection has a strong American-girl-in-Paris influence with dresses that are sophisticated and sassy, featuring iconic landmarks of the French city, such as the Eiffel Tower, in their print. There’s plenty of room to move around, bringing to mind the freshness of spring and the freedom of summer. 

Materials range from silks to leathers, but it’s the attitude that rises to the surface: a joie de vivre that brings to mind young girls on their vespas, artistic discussions at the famous Saint-Germain-des-Pres quarter, home to intellectuals and writers, and its Drugstore, the famous meeting place for young girls.

In a setting that’s made to look like a lush garden, wedges, platform shoes and penny loafers are paired with short skirts and dresses, and sexy pants topped with cropped leather jackets. Two of the most surprising and familiar must-haves are the extra-large Louis Vuitton Neverfull and Noé bags with a reverse striped monogram. 

Coppola embodies the collection with her grace and sophistication and a spirit that is both American and French.