Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière has based his Louis Vuitton FW23 collection around a quite ambiguous question — “what is French style?” Unfolding in the ornate salons of the Musée d’Orsay, on a blacked-out sculptural runway designed by artist Philippe Parreno and production designer James Chinlund, Ghesquière has provided his answer. Set to the choir of sounds pulled from the busy streets of Paris, sound design courtesy of Nicolas Becker, the collection explores the range of cultural influences that define the elusive French spirit.

There has been a recognizable shift in Ghesquière’s designs this season as he has shifted away from his uber-utopian designs in favor of garments that feel more ready in their ability to be worn on the street. What remains from the core Ghesquière design language is his meticulous attention to detail, seen here in the form of pinstripes that have been concocted out of tiny sequins, dresses that appear as bouclé knit yet were entirely embroidered, and knee grazing board shorts that are completely engulfed in elaborate embellishment. 

In more explicit renditions of the French spirit, the red, white, and blue of the country’s flag have been dropped into garments and accessories throughout. The color palette of the entire collection is relatively pared-back, save for patriotic color drops that appear in leather gloves, diamond quilted handbags, and as accents in knit cardigans and the aforementioned loose-fit board shorts.

Yet signifiers of French style are also more subtly embedded into a large amount of the looks in a cleverly-curated manner. Massive brooch-secured scarves are paired with glen plaid waistcoats and oversized trousers or with shimmering black slip dresses. The presence of oversized leather jackets and tailored suits are paramount to the effortlessness of French style, like taking your grandfather’s old suit jacket and throwing it over your shoulders right before you take off from your apartment. There is a certain combination of eclectic fabrications in a host of the looks, like the pairing of ruched silk, intricately embellished velvet, and thick chunky knit, that when put together speak to the essence of the Parisian woman. 

Ghesquière has become known for his futuristic garments, often rendered in sculptural forms with elaborate ornamentation, and while he has not completely abandoned the artillery he has established for himself at the French maison, he is exploring what some of these ideas look like in a more day-to-day application. It’s no coincidence that this shift is happening amidst a season that has largely been defined by recession-core, yet Ghesquière’s ability to maintain his design quirks and intricacies in his exploration of more wardrobe centered ideas is an applaudable and exciting shift for his work at Louis Vuitton.