The Life Aquatic

Louis Vuitton used Italy's Lake Maggiore as the inspiration and stage-for its latest cruise collection

- By Charlotte Davey

There are many legends of Isola Bella: The tiny island in Lake Maggiore belonged to Italy's storied Borromeo clan for 500 years. But more recently, it played host to Louis Vuitton's resort show, a fantastical reimagining of one tale involving mermaids who transformed into flowers upon its shores-a notion translated by artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière into dreamy pastel gowns with blooms of organza and sweeping architectural hems, presented alongside custom-made headwear by a Roman opera atelier. After the show, the first ever hosted by the maison i