The Cruise Report 2023
Destination shows are back —bigger, bolder and more bombastic than ever.
Destination shows are back—bigger, bolder and more bombastic than ever. Jeffrey Yan delves into the most definitive collections of the cruise 2023 season.
As the sun set dramatically into the Pacific Ocean—it was a strange, surreal meeting of bright cobalt sky and fiery amber rays—models paraded in perfect examples of Nicolas Ghesquière’s ingenious mix of inspirations. His obsession with everything sci-fi came through in the hits of metallics, reflective planes on bodices and accessories, as well as some oddly-familiar cross-band tanks, square bib tops, and organically-shaped 3D boleros. He revisited draping techniques from his own oeuvre, introducing brightly coloured graphic prints and tactile textures in desert hues.
The boundary-pushing results left all in awe of their boldness and audacity. Ghesquière ruminated on what women would wear in the not-so-distant future—think Xanadu, Dune and Burning Man combined. It seemed only fitting that the show was staged at architect Louis Kahn’s Brutalist magnum opus, the Salk Institute, a biomedical research facility in San Diego.
The first few opening looks were enough to indicate that everything was going to be otherworldly: Like high priestesses in ecclesiastical gowns walking down the travertine courtyard, models led the audience into Ghesquière’s alternate universe. Imaginative, playful and inventive, the show left us wondering if the world is ready for this much newness. Like Kahn’s masterpiece, which has been heralded as an icon of modern architecture reminiscent of the great monuments of the ancient world, Ghesquière’s vision for the Louis Vuitton cruise 2023 collection is a remarkable covergence of futuristic and archaic, medieval and millennial. — Windy Aulia
Top; trousers; sunglasses; belt; bag; boots, Louis Vuitton
Photographed by Alvin Kean Wong
Styled by Windy Aulia
Model: Shelby Hayes/Muse Models New York
Makeup: Pat McGrath Labs
Hair: Dale Delaporte/Streeters
Casting: Ashley Brokaw
Production: Louis2
Director of Photography: Germano Assuncao
Photographer’s assistant: Alan Nakkash
Stylist’s assistant: Claudia Avila
Fendi’s cruise 2023 collection celebrated a major milestone: The brand’s iconic Baguette bag (and fashion’s first It bag) has turned 25. To kick off the festivities, Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi brought the show to New York—home of Sex and the City, the TV series that helped the bag transcend its status from fashion accessory to pop culture icon. Carrie Bradshaw herself, Sarah Jessica Parker, was seated front-row alongside Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss, Naomi Watts and many, many others.
It was the glitziest guest list New York Fashion Week had seen in a long time, and Jones and Venturini Fendi delivered a show to remember. Moss’ daughter, Lila Moss, opened the show in a sheer blouse and a cargo skirt (with Baguettes for pockets) layered over a sequinned slip and accessorised with a bandanna, ribbed socks, and clogs. That eclectic high-low mix was Jones’ take on the late ’90s, when the Baguette was birthed. He followed it up with looks that equally blended glam with utility and a touch of grunge: There were wispy, sparkly slip dresses worn with fuzzy jumpers or soft shearling overshirts; sequinned mini dresses under mannish parkas; leather shorts and fur bombers; and glittering skirts worn with tank tops or utility vests. The collection was also a game of spot-the-Baguette, with infinite variations ranging from oversized to teeny, tiny versions. And they weren’t just bags. Jones and Venturini Fendi turned them into charms, pendants, pockets and pouches, and plonked them onto beanies, berets, baseball hats, gaiters, gloves and belts.
Jones, who in recent years has proven himself to be fashion’s ultimate collaborator, outdid himself, partnering with not just one, but two American institutions. Tiffany & Co., purveyor of uptown chic, provided the Tiffany blue that coloured a series of looks and some diamond baguettes for the Baguettes, while Marc Jacobs, king of downtown cool (and Jones’ former boss at Louis Vuitton) riffed on the couture-casual codes and graphic lettering that have become his recent signatures.
Related article: The Collections Report: Fall/Winter 2022
The cosmopolitan beach setting of Monte Carlo lent itself as the perfect stage for the Chanel cruise 2023 show. To Virginie Viard, holding the show in Monaco had emotional resonance. She said: “From very early on, I knew we would hold a show here, and more precisely, at the Beach Hotel. Karl was dreaming about it. From this magnificent venue, one can glimpse his villa, La Vigie... terraces and balconies, big umbrellas, baskets of flowers—so much beauty.” And what beauty sauntered down the beach runway, along a purpose-built sidewalk lined with those exact striped umbrellas.
A group of happy models filled the atmosphere with a cool, sporty vibe, wearing lots of light tweeds and silk jumpsuits lined with terry cloth. Many had sequinned and flower-shaped plastrons adorning long shirt-dresses with thin stripes and white high collars—a sartorial nod to Lagerfeld. Eveningwear standouts included a midnight blue sequinned dress and backless tops worn over wide trousers, all hallmarks of French chic.
When you are as famous as Chanel and have as many icons as this House, a little quirk and humour goes a long way. Take the helmet motocross bags, the pink tennis racket kits, the baby lifebuoys dangling from the wrists, or the glittering one-armed bandit slot machine bags in opulent gold—wonderfully tongue-in-cheek and guaranteed to appeal to Chanel-philes eager to get their perfectly manicured hands on each and every one of them. Judging from the massive queues and virtually empty shelves at the Chanel boutique in Monaco, they just could not get enough. — Kenneth Goh
Maria Grazia Chiuri headed to Seville for her latest Dior show. The location provided a Spanish tinge that flavoured her collection of elegant, ladylike staples. There were nods to matadors and flamenco dancers and religious garb, but Chiuri employed a subtle touch, never veering into anything too overt or clichéd. She started with a palette of black and white, and a focus on tailoring—cropped little jackets and vests, worn with high-waisted trousers. Black lace as well as swirling arabesque prints and embroideries softened the look.
As the show progressed, Chiuri eased up and injected more flourish and flair: The skirts got fuller, some sporting fringe or flamenco flounces; the sleeves too, were puffed up and dropped from shoulders. Wide belts and cinched waists ensured that the body was never overwhelmed even in the more extravagant silhouettes, while riding boots grounded the looks and kept them from becoming too precious. Some pieces in black leather stood out for their tougher (but still romantic) sensibility, as did the more casual, utilitarian pieces in blue denim, or black nylon quilted in the Dior cannage pattern.
Related article: All Of The Best Bags From The Cruise 2019 Collections
For his latest cruise show, Alessandro Michele whisked his guests to an octagonal castle in the middle of Puglia. Under a full blood moon and amidst projections of constellations and galaxies, Michele showed a collection that was an ode to the stars—of both the celestial and the Old Hollywood variety. The former was translated into surface decoration—twinkling embellishments and embroideries set onto a black coat with faux fur sleeves and trimmings, for instance, or onto the witchy gown in midnight blue that closed the show. There was also a fringed mini dress that glistened like the night sky reflected in dark water. A flowing cape had crystals fanning out in the pattern of sunray pleats; another was poured around the body like liquid silver. The nods to Old Hollywood came through in Michele’s ’30s and ’40s references: the lean tailoring with its straight, sharp shoulders and extended hemlines, the hats with the extra-wide brims, and the gowns—wispy in sheer chiffon, or shimmering with thousands of sequins.
For his first Balenciaga show staged outside of Paris, Demna headed to New York, where he took over the New York Stock Exchange and put on a show that was as much a commentary on modern capitalist culture as it was a reiteration and expansion of Demna-isms—exaggerated classics and elevated streetwear—that have turned the brand into a billion-dollar juggernaut. On the trading floor, with screens flashing the names and logos of mega-companies like Coke, Twitter, Visa and Disney, Demna sent out a collection that built on where his first haute couture outing left off. But where that collection was serene, monastic almost, this one had a menacing undertone to it.
The first look set the mood: A strong-shouldered, floor-length coat worn with a giant pussybow and a latex gimp mask—all in black. It was American Psycho meets American Horror Story. Demna kept up the fetish bodywear underpinnings all the way through, lending a dark, Lynchian thrill to looks both corporate and casual—tuxedos and suits, trench coats and cocoon wraps, and evening gowns in silks and sequins. They were worn with padded pumps and derbies blown up to clownish proportions, further adding to the deliberately unsettling quality of the proceedings.
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