MARC Jacobs's erotically charged autumn collection for Louis Vuitton had beautiful creatures bedroom hopping in a grand hotel setting, wearing little more than silken scanties and cashmere sweaters under long tweed coats.
Through open doors were glimpsed expensively large Louis Vuitton trunks and a silent film of a man dressing after their love tryst. As these ladies made their hasty departure in their wispy boudoir lingerie, they made sure they had their precious Vuitton handbags clutched in their arms.
Jacobs upped the amps this season on three of the iconic bag shapes of the luxury brand for the catwalk - the Pochette, the Speedy, all fluffy and tactile in bright fur, and the Lockit - because he really wanted to showcase the savoir faire of the ateliers.
The Lockit happens to be one of the five styles that feature in the private-order haute maroquinerie collection, which is made in Asnieres at the heart of Louis Vuitton's operation and its heritage.
Here in this northern Paris suburb is the former home of the Vuitton family (an art nouveau-designed mansion bought by Georges, son of Louis Vuitton, in 1892). In the grounds are the workshops where the famous trunks, the bespoke luggage and the haute maroquinerie collection are made.
