Inside Louis Vuitton X With Krischic

The ‘LV’ in LVMH has done it again: brought an immersive experience to Los Angeles that has managed to attract the Instagram generation to the brand like a moth to a fashionable flame.

I am always fascinated with Louis Vuitton’s cutting-edge approach to promoting brand awareness. The high fashion house has reigned in the luxury world for over 160 years, and it’s clear why: they have a forward-facing willingness to continually evolve with the times.

In the case of Louis Vuitton X in Beverly Hills, the brand knows how to further iconize their heritage by using something so modern, so millennial-approved: experiential marketing. LVMH purchased a $245 million-dollar white façade and converted the 22,000 square-foot retail space into a Louis Vuitton retrospective that documents its history from humble beginnings as a boutique luxury luggage company in the early 20^th century to a couture and ready-to-wear brand that boasts collaborations with the likes of Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld and Rei Kawakubo.

But LVX isn’t a mere museum installation with clothes and accessories on display: it’s an interactive, multi-sensory experience that is pleasing to all the senses and therefore not just social media friendly—it’s social media-seducing. Prepare to be stylishly satiated as I take you through some of my favorite rooms!

Origins: A Tradition of Modernity:

 In my white, vintage sandal heels I stepped toward a recreation of Louis Vuitton’s first storefront in Paris. My Versace Medusa hair clip tucked my freshly cut bob away from my face, giving me an unobstructed view of the time-transcending adventure that awaited me. The circa-1854 storefront acted as a threshold into a beige-checkered room with screen projections and psychedelic music, offset by LV luggage from the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a history-buff I was already satisfied, but I knew this was just the beginning.

Art on Silk: 

From a room rich with history, I entered a space rich in color! I found myself between walls blanketed with LV silk scarves from the ’80s to present-day. In my vibrant red and gold scarf that I turned into a tube top (which I matched with my mother’s 1980s red wool mini skirt), I felt right at home amongst the picturesque neckwear! The pieces hung upon graffitied walls as if they were art themselves, because of course, fashion is worthy of such cultural reverence, and only recently the general public is starting to catch on! 

Arts Meets Fashion/ The Monogram as Blank Canvas/Artisan’s Room:

LV further capitalizes that its pieces are wearable art in the next three rooms. The first was a multimedia showcase where the work of traditionally acclaimed painters like Leonardo DaVinci and Peter Paul Reubens are printed on Louis Vuitton bags, in a collaboration with modern legend, Jeff Koons. A screen tuned into an animated version of the historical art pieces like the Mona Lisa (who winks at you) further cements this modern reincarnation of what the world considers art. A sidestep away is another collaboration-filled room, touchstones to LV’s partnerships with Virgil Abloh, Mark Jacobs and many others. But a true treat is the ‘Artisan’s Room’ where the craftspeople behind LV creations demonstrate their handiwork and allow you to touch the materials they use to create the bags we all know and love.

‘Lights, Camera, Action’:

The ‘Lights, Camera, Action’ room was without a shadow of a doubt my favorite—and not because it was doused in millennial pink! The bubblegum walls were lined with 31 couture and custom gowns worn by A-list celebrities like LV brand ambassadors Sophie Turner and Emma Stone. Perhaps the most breathtaking was Lady Gaga’s white Victorian frock. The gowns come further alive when you are able to compare them in person on the mannequin to a large video projection of the starlets who actually wore them. This room alone made the exhibition a must-see.

Magical Malle: The Past and Present

This room was similar to the one in last year’s Louis Vuitton Time Capsule pop-up at the Westfield Century City: clothed in futuristic-evoking screen installations that displayed a digital timeline of the brand, past runway shows…there was even a screen-covered luggage in the middle of the room that evolved from the 19^th century luggage design all the way to the most recent Louis Vuitton luggage canvas. As LV consistently looks forward, the borderline-dystopian display of virtual reality was a fitting addition to the exhibition.

 

The Shoppable Experience:

 Walk up a double staircase of Milennial pink stairs, under a Gen-Z yellow atrium (you might have to step over all the fellow millennials and Gen-Zers who are taking photos on the way up) and you will find yourself among shoppable art. Afterward, be sure to step on the balcony that overlooks all the boutiques on Rodeo drive.

Be sure to check out the IGTV video I created for my journey through LVX! And if you would like to check it out yourself, the exhibition will be in Beverly Hills through September 15.

Keeping it Krischic,

Kristin Vartan

Also Check Me Out On: The Hollywood Reporter, E! News, Darling Magazine, Pepperdine Graphic, Twitter, Facebook, and  Instagram!

Follow Me on BlogLovin

Follow Me on LIKEtoKNOW.it to shop all my latest looks