You can always count on Nicolas Ghesquière, women’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton, to choose remarkable locations for the brand’s cruise shows. Since unveiling the label’s first cruise range in 2014 in the Principality of Monaco, Ghesquière has wowed year after year with breathtaking venues such as The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio, designed by Brazilian great Oscar Niemeyer, in 2016; Eero Saarinen’s TWA Flight Centre at New York’s JFK Airport in 2019; and the John Lautner-designed Bob and Dolores Hope Estate in Palm Springs in 2015.

For the launch of the cruise 2027 collection, Louis Vuitton returned to New York, although the venue this time couldn’t have been more different from Saarinen’s futuristic structure outside the city. The event took place at The Frick Collection, the museum located along Central Park. Formerly a private mansion from New York’s Gilded Age, The Frick Collection was established by industrialist Henry Clay Frick and opened to the public in 1935.

Home to masterpieces by the likes of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Titian, the Frick, as it’s commonly known, has recently undergone a major renovation, which expanded its galleries, upgraded its infrastructure, and opened the second floor to the public for the first time.

The Louis Vuitton cruise show marks the beginning of a new partnership between the maison and The Frick Collection: for the next three years, the Parisian house will be a principal cultural sponsor of the institution, supporting initiatives such as free monthly Friday evenings and a two-year curatorial position.

Ghesquière’s starting point for the show – which was attended by celebrities including Felix of Stray Kids, and actresses Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya – was the dichotomy between uptown and downtown that is a quintessential aspect of New York life. “This duality between downtown and uptown is very universal, but is so representative of a certain mystery of New York,” said the designer while giving a preview of the range.

The Frick Collection is meant to symbolise the collection’s uptown allure, while 80s pop artist Keith Haring – known for his bold graffiti-inspired art – embodies its downtown vibes.

In an unexpected coincidence, after deciding to collaborate with the artist’s foundation for the cruise line, Ghesquière discovered a Louis Vuitton briefcase from the 1930s that Haring had tagged in 1984 and that the maison had acquired for its archives. The original piece was part of the opening look: a red cardigan paired with slouchy jeans and a zebra-printed belt.