Louis Vuitton's Via Montenapoleone Flagship Reopens with Grandiose

As the entire fashion stratosphere are focusing on the fashion week runways, venerated luxury maison Louis Vuitton treated its Milanese fans to the grandiose reopening of its flagship store at Milan’s swanky Via Montenapoleone. 

Located inside the historical Palazzo Taverna, the store retains its neo-classical façade while at the same time, boasts luxury interior imbued with intimate yet sophisticated ambiance. 

Flaunting double height ceiling and skylights, the store, which renowned architect Peter Marino refers to as a “residential style”, is designed to orchestrate an intimate atmosphere with the attention to detail characteristic of a luxurious home. 

Such ambience is attained by giving ample attention to detail characteristic of a luxurious home where furnishing accessories like curtains, lamps and carpets would have been carefully selected. Furthermore, the five-storey store also boasts increased retail space, hence providing shoppers with greater shopping experience. 

“Milan is one of the world’s most important cities when it comes to fashion, culture and design,” says Mr. Yves Carcelle, President and CEO of Louis Vuitton. “And its soul is firmly rooted in both respect for traditional craftsmanship, as well as passion for creation - values we share and embrace at Louis Vuitton. This reopening is a milestone in Louis Vuitton’s Italian journey.” 

 

Aside from housing wide varieties of accessories, ready-to-wear for men and women, high jewellery and watches, the Via Montenapoleone flagship is indeed a must visit and shop store for every true Louis Vuitton connoisseurs. 

Reason being the store is the first store in Europe to introduce the exciting Travel Room – an area that is uniquely dedicated to Louis Vuitton’s hallmarked luggage and travelling accessories. Apart from that, the addition of two services — Made to Order shoes for men and Haute Maroquinerie (personalization of Louis Vuitton iconic shapes to design a unique handbag made from the finest leathers) — are set to draw the fashionable crowd to shop in this peerless paragon of supreme luxury.

In conjunction with the Milan flagship store reopening, the French luxury maison also holds a special fashion exhibition at La Triennale di Milano, an iconic design museum in Milan. Entitled “Louis Vuitton: The Art of Fashion” and curated by Katie Grand, the exhibition highlights some amazing ready-to-wear pieces culled from the expansive Louis Vuitton fashion archive.

They include cashmere mesh jumper of the 2000 Fall/Winter season combined with a tulle skirt from the 2004 Fall/Winter season; gloves of the 2001 Spring/Summer season made in collaboration with Stephen Sprouse, as well as boots and an oversized hood from the 2006 Fall/Winter season, just to list a few.

These notable pieces are displayed on 24 mannequins with reproductions of Louis Vuitton’s famous speedy bags as their heads. At the adjacent cinema space, visitors will be able to learn more about Louis Vuitton’s ready-to-wear collections and reveals how Katie Grand worked on the selection of the outfits for this exhibition. 

Recently, in the archetypal Louis Vuitton style, a coterie of celebrities, socialites, fashion industry bigwigs and clients, together with Creative Director Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton’s President and CEO Yves Carcelle, gathered in Milan to preview the renovated flagship store. The beautiful evening started with a cocktail where guests mingled and looked around the newly refurbished store, followed by the exhibition and the after party.

Most renowned fashion dictators such as jeweller Delfina Delletrez Fendi, Franca Sozzanni of the Italian Vogue, Anna Dello Russo from Vogue Japan and socialites Virginie and Claire Courtin Clarins were seen in Louis Vuitton’s fall/winter 2011 pieces.

Of all the women mentioned above, Dello Russo seemed to gain the most attention as she sported one of the runway looks, complete with patent leather corset belt and driving cap. 

Also present at the event were ex-Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, looking simple yet stunning in a dark top paired with printed skirt from Ricarrdo Tisci for Givenchy fall/winter 2011 collection, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, Stefano Accorsi, actress Chiara Mastroianni, the Missoni sisters, Shingai Shoniwa of Noisettes and Brazilian beauty Isabelli Fontana. 

Louis Vuitton’s Via Montenapoleone flagship store will be open officially to the public today and opens from 10.00 am to 7.30 pm daily (10.30am on Sundays).

   

*Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton. 
 

Louis Vuitton – Via Montenapoleone 2, 20121 Milano, Italy.