When Pocahontas meets Sayuri ... Louis Vuitton SS09

Ladies, start setting up your tepees at your lawns and channel the insouciance and exoticness of Pocahontas as Native American style is the next ‘in’ thing for next year’s spring/summer seasons.

Pioneered by Veronica Etro for Etro’s current fall/winter collection, the trend is now adopted by Marc Jacobs for French fashion house Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear and accessories collection.

Held on the last day of the Paris Fashion Week 2009 at the legendary Cour Carree du Louvre, Jacobs drew his inspiration from the Native American tribal style and juxtaposed it with ageless Japanese ethnical style influence and the inevitable modern-day silhouettes and flattering cuts.

Imposing less highlights on the Eighties style influence (think of the current Grace Jones-inspired Fall/Winter 2008 collection), the upcoming spring/summer collection is densely drenched in rustic yet warm colours that are significant to the tribal cultures of Native Americans. Think of copper, brown, and bronze but less on shimmering silvers and gold.

These are then eclectically concocted with sophisticated summer staples such as green, black, and pop-tastic orange, hence resulted to a line of wonders. For spring and summer, Jacobs gave more emphasize to skin-baring.

Translated, a devout (or pious to the extreme) Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear fanatic could look forward to lots of skirts with above-the-hip hemlines, which are extremely sexy and dangerously mind-provoking. In addition to that, Jacobs also include lots of intricate detailing into some of the pieces. Meticulously done but not over the top.

Applying smart tailoring and smooth cutting into the collection, much of the pieces created by Jacobs could be considered as investment pieces and according to VOGUE UK’s catwalk report, audiences were itching to get their hands on them!

But whatever it is, my two thumbs up go to his witty amalgamation of modern nuances with traditional ethnical influence. For instance, almost 80 percent of the ensembles are paired with sleek Japanese obis and lots of plumes, which pays homage to the veritably Native American chic. Well, think of Pocahontas meets Sayuri from 'The Memoirs of Geisha' for reference sake.

What’s more, Native American tribal influence also flourishes down to the shoes and other essential accessories such as chunky necklaces, wooden stack bangles in electrifying hues, and artsy earrings which look more like hanging mobiles.

But when we talk about Louis Vuitton, besides its irresistible collection of clothes, one must never forget about its infectious bags as well. Stylish to the core as usual, expect to see lots of monograms splashing across them and accessorized with tribal charms.

Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear and accoutrements collection will be available at Louis Vuitton boutiques early next year.

*Photos by imaxtree.com for Elle

Louis Vuitton – UG6, Adorn Floor, Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur; G 26 A-C, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.