Louis Vuitton Takes Over POST Houston For a High-Style Throwback That Draws a Who’s Who of Fashion Mavens
Making a Splash In Texas That Channels Paris
BY Shelby Hodge // 03.21.24
Louis Vuitton presents its 2024 Spring/Summer collection in the X Atrium at POST Houston. (Courtesy Louis Vuitton; Image Megan Kay Photography)
Recreating the Paris debut of the Louis Vuitton 2024 Spring/Summer collection, the French heritage brand took over the X Atrium of POST Houston for a celebration of 40 years in the city that boasts four LV boutiques today. For the early afternoon fête, the vast space with stairways reaching to the 39-foot ceilings was completely wrapped in swaths of orange and yellow fabric implying the interior of a hot air balloon.
“We want you to feel as if you are floating in a hot air balloon during sunset,” explains one Louis Vuitton representative. The theme of the collection “Spirit of Travel” was an homage to the maison‘s heritage as a luxury brand for luggage, with the coveted LV logo dating to 1854.
The ephemeral setting replicated the collection introduction during Paris Fashion Week in October when Louis Vuitton opened doors to its then under-construction new address on the Champs-Élysées. The wide open, almost rustic space of the ionic X Atrium played nicely into women’s collections artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière’s penchant for the rawness of certain structures.
Thus, the well-heeled throng (dress to impress or die of embarrassment) from across “the region” were seated on wooden benches that crisscrossed the 13,000 square foot space. The invitation-only attendees were a tribute to the brand’s wide appeal. Everyone from hip hop headliners to seasoned socialites to la jeunesse d’orée crowded onto the benches, most grabbing selfies with their smartphones.
Oh, the guests in the bomber jackets with Louis Vuitton emblazoned in mammoth “pearls” across the back. The logo handbags, the prints and the Louis Vuitton footwear — including at least one pair of the $8,000 LV Texan boots — stood out. The throng of top clients, influencers, media and friends left no Louis Vuitton style unworn.
They arrived in style with a bevy of Rolls Royces and Bentleys at the Post Houston valet shaming the mere Mercedes-Benzes and Porches that disgorged a vast assortment of fashion mavens. And about that lavender Rolls convertible. . .
Outdoor Dining with Bering's
Smartphones went high when the fashion presentation began with models descending one arch of the X stairway, circling through the crowd and then with ballerina grace climbing the stairs back to Louis Vuitton heaven. No familiar models here, the fresh faces on the catwalk were flown in from New York for the presentation.
The often feminine and the somewhat avant-garde looks embracing the varied facets of femininity had every measure of the audience nodding in approval and, of course, snapping photos. In fact, amid the champagne reception and trunk show that followed, shopping ensued. We observed a number of over-sized Louis Vuitton shopping bags exiting the POST.
The last time that Louis Vuitton made a such splash in Texas was in 2022 when it showcased the Cruise Collection at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.
