STAGED in the former summer apartments of Anne of Austria inside the Louvre, Nicolas Ghesquière unveiled the Spring/ Summer 2026 collection for Louis Vuitton. Using the location as an initial hint as to what to expect, the season was framed as an “indoor” wardrobe, transforming the private ritual of dressing into a public display.
Now, five years after lockdown, the designer has taken note of the change in our style – we live with a more casual demeanour. For SS26, he therefore poses the question: what does it mean to dress beautifully when the outside is less relevant?
In short, there was a visual tension throughout the collection: loungewear alongside ceremony, cosy familiarity with decadent detailing. Silhouettes were long and flowing, switching between slip-like dresses, gowns with interior-boning, and lightweight outer-layers that brushed the floor.
Cocoon shapes were obvious nods to protection, and sculptural knits elevated the bottom-shelf jumper. Long johns were given the Ghesquière touch and were reimagined in stripes, coming off the shoulder and clinging to accentuate the body.
This was a far cry from old sweatpants and more of a rich spectacle that looked into the various corners of intimate dressing and the many facets of its self-expression. The designer has always balanced archival references with technical innovation, and SS26 continues to play in the grey areas of history and modernity, whilst giving space for a personal narrative.
Whilst the last couple of seasons have been focused on exploration, the turn inwards to discover self-encounter that shows why Ghesquière continues to thrive – his own design evolution is far from over.
by Imogen Clark