So, this is different. Many times a year, you see entire convention centers full of people dressed as video game characters. Rarely (if ever?) do you see video game characters, uh, cosplaying as people.
Louis Vuitton and Square Enix have crossed that line. They've placed Lightning—of Final Fantasy fame—into Louis Vuitton's Series 4 Spring-Summer 2016 campaign.
I think what's most striking about this "Virtual Heroine" ad, is that Ligtning doesn't look out of place at all. She's a natural fit. Pink, zippered up coats. Blocky hand bag. Shimmery, foofy dress thing. (You'll have to pardon me, my vocabulary for high fashion is limited.) Either way, I guess any arguments that the model has been Photoshopped are kind of a moot point.
Louis Vuitton "has always pushed the boundaries of reality, and dreams. Real, virtual, incarnate, metaphorical: Lightning is the fruit of Square Enix studios' imagination, and she raises the question of immanence—that which takes place solely in the mind—in tomorrow's world."
Well, there you have it. Lightning. High-fashion model. This all makes sense once you accept the fact that we no longer live in the present, but in the future.
If you want to read about Lightning in her natural environment, here's our review of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Gaming Nexus score: 8 out of 10).
