On Saturday at 6:30 p.m, a tentlike structure in front of the Palace of Monaco was teeming with fashionistas. In came Carine Roitfeld wearing a snake-skin Givenchy jacket and a tight-as-could-be Rick Owens skirt. After that came Charlotte Gainsbourg and Adèle Exarchopoulos, who were decked out in leather pants and shimmering tops by Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s recently anointed head designer.
What else but Vuitton would these très-chic actresses be wearing? They had come as friends of Mr. Ghesquière, who was about to show what he’d cooked up for the French fashion house’s 2014 cruise collection.
At 7 p.m. on the dot, the floor, which was made of LED displays, turned on, showing images of rocks under water. The newest track from Royksopp and Robyn, “Monument,” blared from the speakers. Models like Maggie Rizer and Liya Kebede (both of whom have been fixtures in Mr. Ghesquière’s shows for more than a decade), marched around the room like gorgeous marionettes.
Tops came in soft yellows, light pinks and aqua blues. Metallic dresses had an almost liquid quality about them. Pants were fitted and high-waisted, leaving more than a few people to note the collection’s similarities to some of Mr. Ghesquière’s earliest collections for Balenciaga, where he worked from 1997 until 2012.
But few attendees seemed to disapprove.
“Fresh and dynamic” said the photographer Olivier Zahm, just moments after the show ended to nearly rapturous applause (at least by fashion standards).
“I feel like we were underwater in a coral reef with all these exotic creatures from the deep coming up,” said the actress Brit Marling.
By the corner, Mr. Ghesquière was surrounded by reporters requesting interviews and the actress Jennifer Connelly, who had made a late entrance in Vuitton and was also eager to say hello. So the famous pair moved backstage, where Ms. Connelly soon showed him pictures on her iPhone and inquired about his plans thereafter.
“Interviews,” he said, sounding less than enthusiastic.
Outside, in the square, the party went into full effect. More sofas materialized and waiters began serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres to attendees enjoying the late-day sun.
The photographer Juergen Teller was gabbing with W Magazine’s editor in chief, Stefano Tonchi, and W’s editor at large, Lynn Hirschberg. Nearby, someone was complimenting the celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart on an outfit Cate Blanchett had worn at Cannes.
Out came Ms. Roitfeld, who spotted Bernard Arnault, the LVMH chairman and chief executive, in the distance, talking to a French camera crew. She seemed somewhat surprised to see a hint of a smile come across his famously taciturn face. “It’s great to see him happy,” she said.
No wonder Mr. Tonchi and Ms. Hirschberg decided to go back to the interview area and congratulate Mr. Ghesquière. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad idea. For more than an hour, they waited as aides to Mr. Ghesquière said again and again that it would be just another few minutes.
Around 9 p.m., Ms. Hirschberg gave up. “I’ve had interviews with heads of state that are easier than this,” she said, laughing.
In the end, Mr. Ghesquière didn’t finish talking to the media. He made a dash outside around 9:30, as people working for him explained that he was just too tired to keep talking.
“Sorry,” said his publicist, Pierre Rougier, shrugging.
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