Like most industries, international fashion weeks have been affected by COVID. No longer able to host large glamorous events have made fashion houses creative with how they showcase their collections, with a rise of designer fashion films - we can’t get enough of them. Style director Louise Hilsz shares her favourites.
Moschino
Moschino’s Resort Spring Summer 22 collection, which debuts a mini-musical called Lighting Strikes, equal parts Singing in the Rain and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. It’s shot on location at the Universal Studios lot, and stars fashion legend Karen Elson, as a waitress, who dreams herself away from the hustle and bustle of her diner shift, with patrons, cooks, and fellow waitresses, who transform into her backup dancers - all a dream, like any good Hollywood movie.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Resort 2022. This is Nicolas Ghesquière’s second resort collection for Louis Vuitton without a destination runway show. A year ago, in the early months of the pandemic, he staged a studio shoot, but this time around, he filmed a short movie at Axe Majeure, an architectural masterpiece park new the centre of pairs. Conceived by the late, great Israeli environmental artist Dani Karavan who passed away in May at 90. We think this film rivals previous LV shows. This collection and the backdrop of Paris city views are a grand expression befitting of Vuitton.
It would be remiss not to share our style director Louise Hilsz's favourite film, the men's Spring Summer 2022 Louis Vuitton collection. 'Amen Break' is the work of artistic director Virgil Abloh. The film explores ideas of transmission: the act of passing on something from one person to another, activating waves of change across generations, and impacting the lives of others. It's an abstract interpretation of the story of artist Lupe Fiasco; the film depicts a father and son united by an unnamed loss, crossing a dream world to deliver a message to the other side. The result is an explosion of colour. To quote Hilsz, "This is men's wear women want to wear."
Fendi
Fendi Haute Couture Fall 2021 was a celebration of supermodels and ball gowns. Creative director Kim Jones was living his haute couture dream with this production. His second such collection for Fendi captured in a dynamic film, with fashion royalty including Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, and Amber Valletta, who gazed enigmatically into the camera as they wafted around a set recreated to look like an ancient Roman theatre. Filmed by Luca Guadagnino, the Call Me by Your Name director, the brief was to connect eras - both old and new. Kim Kardashian, who just happened to be in town while Jones was filming, got an early preview.
