All aboard the Louis Vuitton show! Marc Jacobs unveils new collection on steam engine train in Paris

All aboard the Louis Vuitton show! Marc Jacobs unveils new collection on steam engine train in Paris



Harking back to a bygone era, Marc Jacobs unveiled an Edwardian-inspired collection for Louis Vuitton on the final day of Paris Fashion Week yesterday.

Models took to the catwalk elegantly dressed in classic cuts with ornate silk hats neatly perched, bearing an uncanny resemblance to characters from period dramas such as Downton Abbey.

But the real showstopper was the LV express – a fully functioning steam train built specially for the show, branded with navy and gold lettering.




A train carrying models enters the grand venue before Louis Vuitton's collection by U.S designer Marc Jacobs is unveiled


As a giant bronze clock struck 10, steam emerged from the far end of the runway and the single-carriage locomotive pulled into the 'station'.




The crowds seated in the marquee, erected in one of the larger courtyards of the Louvre, looked on as, one by one, each of the 24 girls stepped out unveiling Marc Jacobs’s autumn/winter range for the French label.

Longtime Jacobs fan, Sarah Jessica Parker, was among those placed in the front row.


'It's just sumptuous, and what a spectacle,' said French actress Catherine Deneuve stepping onto the carriage after the show.

Guests were surprised by the spectacle, and it was only invitations in the guise of luggage tags that gave any hint of what was to come.


Recalling a time when train travel was reserved for the upper classes the clothes exuded wealth.




The LV express was specially built for the show and was branded with navy and gold lettering





One by one each of the 24 girls stepped out from the train carriage unveiling the LV collection





Two-piece suits and coats were layered over ankle-skimming, subtlety flared trousers, providing an elegant silhouette.

While long heavy fabrics in brown, black, siennas and purple gave a more bottom-heavy effect.


Jacquard and brocade were further embroidered and appliqued with laser-etched plastic stones, while dazzling silk thread was sewn into oversize coats.

'We're imagining the romance of a better time,' said Jacobs, 48, backstage.


'Whatever you try, clothes never really live in the past. They are worn now so they are modern, with a modern take.'

Cigarette trousers, waistcoats, scalloped jackets were other design features.








Long heavy fabrics in brown, black, siennas and purple plunged to bottom-heavy and layered silhouettes









Jacquard and brocade were further embroidered, while dazzling silk thread was sewn into oversize coats


And as ever the LV accessories played a vital role. Porters followed the models with their 'luggage', while hat boxes, vanity cases, and petite valises in crocodile and embroidered sequins were worked into the big-budget production.

Tall hats appeared in warm shades of mauve, charcoal and green detailed with feather and horsehair corsages.

The U.S designer celebrated 15 years at the helm of the French label with an exhibition opening in Paris last night.

Marc Jacobs: The Exhibition was laucnhed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs with celebrity guests including Kristen Stewart, Natalia Vodianova, Poppy Delevigne and Karl Lagerfeld.




Feeling pink: Designer Marc Jacobs attends a photocall for his work with Louis Vuitton: The Exhibition



Sadie Whitelocks

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