Louis Vuitton Cruises Toward Eden

The weather in New York was unseasonably lovely for Louis Vuitton’s garden-themed 2010 Resort Line. Hostess Maggie Gyllenhaal enjoyed the temperature, wearing satin shorts and a cowl-neck black tee underneath a plum LV trench. The event, held at Saks—which was the first department store to carry Vuitton women’s ready-to-wear—premiered super-rich, voluminous-but-shrunken looks presented for Spring 2010.

Transformed into the costumes for Le Jardin, the collection appeared on a series of vignettes inspired by nature and featured heavy doses of the iconic LV. Artisans hand-painted flowers on luggage underneath full-sized trees and well-manicured hedges and lawns (often emblazoned with the logo) were nests for handbags and necklaces.

Most of the collection, aside from a floral frock with heavy layers and a pleated evening gown, didn’t necessarily require the whimsy of this event. Instead, the house favored toward the Americana it has been doing so well recently, with nautical mini-dresses with full skirts, or slouchy, tailored rain coats in lilac yellow. However, resort collection revolve around fantasy, and despite the odd weather, as the winter months set in, an idyllic respite on Fifth Avenue sounds just about right.