Marc Jacobs has an endless imagination; one that produces high concept shows for several different labels season after season. From Broadway style productions to working merry-go-rounds, Jacobs’ presentations are never predictable. However, what he does so well is blend his perspicacious vision of a collection with a show to match the mood. His theatrics were not stowed for the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2012 runway. Instead, he built a train car, which pulled into the “station” of the Cour Carrée courtyard at the Louvre before the show. Models disembarked in flawless, retro-inspired travel attire with porters scurrying after them carrying monogrammed Louis Vuitton luggage. Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter season builds around a theme of chic outerwear, tawdry embellishment, and multiple layers. Each, in a sense, working together to provide a textural collection that blends kangaroo leather in with woven tweed and brocade tapestry fabrics. The outerwear is fitted, with an open front drape hem that mimics the fall of a curtain against a picture window. This provides framework for the garments underneath which often came in matching patterns and prints. Milliner Stephen Jones then topped the ensembles with 6-inch high squash hats. The effect is comical, at first, but also crazily stylish. Jacobs also pairs cardigans and thin sweaters with midi skirts over flared, cropped trousers. The skirt-over-pants thing is the new layering fixation that PFW designers have been mimicking this season. Many surfaces glitter with baubles, coruscated paillettes, and tiny mirror-like embellishments – which add even more dimensionality to this dense collection. Working on the travel theme, Jacobs accessorizes his models with leather gloves and oversized sunglasses. Without the elaborate train station backdrop, this would still be a breathtaking collection. However, you add the histrionics of the train into the mix, and you have, not a collection, but an experience.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway