Louis Vuitton discovers the magic world of TV commercials

Who could ever forget the magic and out-of-this-worldliness beauty of the Chanel no.5 commercial which saw Nicole Kidman run through Paris in search love? Or the soft images of Natalie Portman shot my Sofia Coppola for Dior? Now, Louis Vuitton seems ready to follow suit with the debut of its first-ever multimedia campaign, entitled "The Art of Travel". And art it most certainly is, from what I've seen so far. But you can judge for yourselves. 

The brand orchestrated another spectacle in the Cour Carré of the Louvre, the site of its big-budget fashion shows for the past few seasons. A red-and-white-striped hot air balloon carrying model Arizona Muse in its basket recently lifted off for the cameras of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, who filmed the French brand’s latest push into television and cinema advertising. As original music by British film composer John Murphy swells to a dramatic crescendo, Muse is seen admiring Italian masterpieces at the vast museum, including the Mona Lisa, before using a key on her necklace to unlock a Vuitton trunk she encounters. From the inside lid she plucks a letter, tucks it into her purse and makes her escape into the sunset-streaked Paris sky as a handsome man trails her.

The mesmerizing add is the latest example of Vuitton’s move to bring its travel heritage and artisanal roots forward, as a complement to its fashion advertising. This new film is an invitation on a journey, with the key a symbol that — like travel — opens “the pathways of knowledge, initiation, mystery and curiosity.” Vuitton also announced its intention to let the story unfold further, with the next episode slated to be unveiled in 2013 - and I, for one, cannot wait to see it.