Rejoice: It's Nicolas Ghesquière's First Collection for Louis Vuitton

Last night in Paris, Nicolas Ghesquière showed his feverishly-anticipated first collection for Louis Vuitton. Ghesquière — the much-beloved, highly respected and often imitated designer who catapulted Balenciaga to renown before leavingthe label abruptly — is a legend; Louis Vuitton is a hugely influential empire. So how did he do his first time around?

It was a strong start: not mind-blowing or revolutionary, but impeccably cut, well-crafted and cleverly unconventional. Although the shapes were simple, the fabrics were not — leathers, tweeds, prints and false feathers abounded (the only real clear nod to Balenciaga’s infatuation with futurism: metallic false feathers ornamenting some of the garments, like something off of a cyberpunk space bird).

In the show notes, Ghesquière described this collection as both timeless and forward-looking: “”This familiar wardrobe appeals to the collective unconscious, stirring our affective memory. We never tire of these perennial pieces… A peppering of original designs shakes up the cozy coterie; these distinctly modern, strikingly stylish newcomers open up the much-loved wardrobe to new pairings and a landscape of possibilities.”