Traditional tropes of Parisian attire were given a modern yet wearable twist with splashes of blue lace and metal beading
The Place Vendôme, like Louis Vuitton, is a monumental triumph of French luxury branding. The grandest square in Paris – which is not square but octagonal, faceted like a diamond so the rows of tall symmetrical windows reflect the maximum amount of sunlight – is an illusion. The Place Vendôme is a facade, a 300-year-old shopfront, behind which the owner of each plot is free to rebuild at will, so long as what the well-heeled shoppers on the pavement see is unaffected.
Louis Vuitton, the new owners of a large plot in the south-east corner, operates in a similar way. The name above the door remains paramount, whoever is working behind the scenes. Whether they are buying a bag designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, as now, or one created by Marc Jacobs five years ago, the customer is paying for a Louis Vuitton bag.