If you’ve read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, you might know who Anna of Austria is: the queen of France in the early 17th century, and mother of Le Roi Soleil, King Louis XIV. A woman of arts, culture, aristocratic pride, and modesty — although there are many secret affairs connected to her. One reason why her personal relationships are used for intrigues and schemes inside the palace, at least in Dumas’ version. She’s the woman who used to spend her summers in exactly those chambers where Nicolas Ghesquière chose to present the new Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2026 collection. A celebration of home as a haven of life and a space of never-ending freedom.
And this freedom and haven of life do not mean sweatpants, shapeless shirts, and no bra underneath. No, for the Artistic Director of the Maison’s women’s collections, freedom at home symbolises a sanctuary for individuality. A sanctuary where everyone has the power to express themselves and the ultimate luxury to dress in a way that embodies their own true personal spirit. To create the perfect setup for this message, Ghesquière swooped in right after the Louvre finished the restoration of Anna of Austria’s summer apartment inside the palace. And with the help of renowned scenographer Marie-Anne Derville, the historical marble floors, frescoed ceilings, and the windows that flood the dark red walls with natural light were transformed into a contemporary living space that invites us to dive into a journey through the last four centuries.
For that, Derville chose to display ceramic sculptures by Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat from the 19th century, Art Déco seats by Michel Dufet, a conceptual set of narrow steel furniture from Robert Wilson’s Hamlet Machine collection from the ‘80s, velvet armchairs by Georges Jacob, as well as high floor lamps that open towards the ceiling like abstract tulips — throwing indirect light that created an elegant, calm atmosphere. And as the models stepped onto the runway, around this distinctive selection of interior pieces, a soundtrack composed by Tanguy Destable was played. An intimate melody layered with texts from David Byrne’s This Must Be The Place that were read by none other than Cate Blanchett.
And just like the setup, the designs by Ghesquière were neither athleisure nor fully historical. More than that, they were a time travel with shapes reminiscent of the roaring ‘20s through long, flowy dresses at the beginning, with high collars and pleats that created an organic, rounded shape. A long fringe dress that reminded one of Monet’s impressionist water lilies. Stacked wooden discs sewn to seams and necklines like a futuristic element from the ‘60s. Cubistic jewellery with deconstructed dice found in discreet bracelets, rings, and necklaces. A pair of soft frilled boots manufactured with brown, blue, and red suede — a design that could also be worn in the ‘70s. As well as the 1940s Hollywood glamour-coded opening look: a fluid silk and linen silhouette, combined with gold sandals.
The longer the models moved through Anna of Austria’s former summer apartment, the more you could also notice multiple styles that seemed to be inspired directly by the interiors themselves. A vest with cutouts and 3D laces that resembled baroque plasterwork on the ceiling. Prints with huge flowers and decorative lines like Art Nouveau wallpaper. A small dark brown leather bag, shaped like one of those tassels you can hang on a window or on the knob of a wardrobe. A white ruffle cape like a cosy blanket. A pale pink belted vest, embroidered with colourful crystals that looked a bit like a bathrobe — but on closer inspection, you could see it was not crafted from synthetic fur, but from brushed silk.
What literally tied the collection together were various wide scarves repurposed as belts that were tightly bound around the models’ waists and added a timeless shape to the looks: brown with the classic LV monogram, hairy, beige, or black and blue striped with a leather pocket. As well as a never-ending selection of unique bags: a wooden box with buckles, slouchy knitted, stiff with textured leather, bold prints and silk sheets draped around the handles.
Overall, the colour palette of the collection, roughly summarised, moved from crème to pink, from pink to brown, and from there to blue until everything was closed by black. A bit like a long, peaceful day at home that ends as the night comes. Whether Anna of Austria would spend her day dressed in Ghesquière’s designs is something we will never know. Also, whether someone else will ever do that. But that’s not really what this is about anyway. It’s a call to not only dress how you want when no one can see you — no, to dress how you want every day and therefore decide to be confident and comfortable with yourself. It’s not the most striking collection of the season, but the storytelling and the quality are inspiring, motivating, and something to dream of when you’re building a strong, timeless wardrobe.
