LOUIS Vuitton graced Cebu with its presence for the third year in a row for a brand new showcase of the luxury brand’s leather bags and accessories. Vuitton’s Cruise 2017 collection is creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere’s homage to Rio de Janeiro’s seaside culture, with plenty of bright colors and bold prints. Louis Vuitton Micronesia general manager Rhea de Vera-Aguirre, merchandising supervisor Pamen Lacson, assistant public relations manager Mary Reyes and client development manager Rima Ostwani presented Cruise 2017 and other covetable pieces at the latest trunk show held last month.
Last year’s voyage with Vuitton took us to the Ocean Pavilion at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. This year, sizable invitations in thick, creamy envelopes asked us to come to the Social Hall at the posh Park Point Residences in Cebu Business Park for the cocktail reception. This was to be the same venue for the weekend-long trunk show.
As the French fashion house presents with every collection, both classic and playful versions of several styles were available. The City Steamer bag, for example, had options of solid and subtle red orange, or in black and brown leather with eye catching, stamped-on “patches.”
Fans of more delicate pieces appreciated the Blossom jewelry collection. The gorgeous necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets tell of the brand’s legacy which has spanned over 100 years, as it is centered on Vuitton’s iconic monogram flower, created in 1896 by Georges-Louis Vuitton.
Another highlight of this collection is the innovative Horizon luggage. Imagined by influential industrial designer Marc Newson is every traveler’s dream carry-on. It’s not just sleek in look and feel, its interior is also completely flat, thanks to an external large cane. This luggage moves with the traveler with ease due to four specially designed wheels that the brand says are the most comfortable it’s ever designed. The smart, stylish suitcase was shown in several colors for men and women like piment orange, Damier graphite canvas and of course, the classic monogram canvas.
The cocktail reception and two-day trunk show were both so well attended as in previous years. I heard through the grapevine months ago that a Louis Vuitton boutique would finally be opening in Ayala Center Cebu, but it seems that the LV shopping experience was here and gone too soon. My grapevine isn’t quite so current; can anyone confirm with certainty when LV is here to stay?