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A detail of a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk. PRECEDING PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON; THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAZIZ HAMANI (TRUNK); CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS (STACKED TRUNKS) BELOW: Las Vegas has become a requisite stop when the highjewelry pieces make their global rounds. project. Examine any Vuitton piece sporting the iconic print and you'll notice how the petals of its golden flowers line up perfectly along the seams, while its signature LVs are placed with flawless symmetry so they always appear whole, as per the workshop's time-honored saying: "You never cut through Louis Vuitton." As Louis Vuitton's great-great-grandson, Patrick-Louis Vuitton lives this philosophy every day. Like his father, Claude-Louis; his grandfather Gaston-Louis; and other family members before him, Patrick-Louis has carried the banner of Vuitton pride even as he has established his own unique corner of the label's luxe universe. As both an ambassador of the house and the head of special orders for Louis Vuitton Maison, he travels the world to work with clients in designing special-order trunks. In his 37-year tenure, he has fielded a vast range of requests, such as a case to hold a pair of Champagne glasses (the owner didn't care for the glasses used in her preferred airline's first-class cabin), and a trunk fitted with solar panels so its owner would have a fully charged laptop and Wi-Fi—no matter where he was on the planet. Always at hand is Patrick-Louis's own custom Vuitton case with the watercolors and papers he uses to sketch each design. Like every member of the Vuitton family, he can build a trunk from start to finish, and he crafted this custom case himself. ABOVE: Louis This year marks the 25th Vuitton at Crystals anniversary of the compaat CityCenter is the brand's largest US ny's presence in Las Vegas. boutique and its Today you'll find five Louis fifth-largest in the world. RIGHT: A stack Vuitton boutiques within a of Vuitton luggage 1.5-mile stretch of the Strip: in the house's iconic monogrammed at Via Bellagio, Wynn, the canvas. Forum Shops at Caesars, Fashion Show, and, most recently, one of the brand's most significant statements, a 14,000-squarefoot, three-story boutique at Crystals at CityCenter. It opened in 2009, and its combination of size (the largest Vuitton store in the US and fifth-largest in the world) and selection earned it the designation Louis Vuitton Maison, one of only six in the US. "A Louis Vuitton Maison is conceived as a travel destination influenced by the aesthetics of the city it is located in, making each unique," explains Valérie Chapoulaud, North America president and CEO of Louis Vuitton. "This experience of luxury extends beyond the collections offered and is carefully integrated throughout the store [in] its architectural elements and exhibition spaces for art." Designed by renowned architect Peter Marino, the CityCenter boutique features a 31-foot chandelier containing 1,600 titaniumplated LV flowers and the rainbow-hued Lucky Colors installation by Belgian artist Lionel Estève. Special-order trunks are particularly key to this store, with a section of the mezzanine level dedicated to custom clients and product personalization. Until very recently, the centerpiece of the mezcontinued on page 106 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 104-106_V_SS_TasteMaker_MAY/JUNE_13.indd 105 105 4/25/13 10:22 AM