As we watched a very good Louis Vuitton menswear show on Tuesday night in Paris, we saw a little bit of all three of the fashion industry’s arrogant designers, power-mad innovators, and megalomaniacs.
The security for this event, which was held in the manicured garden of UNESCO headquarters beneath ominous sky, was so extensive that it felt as though one had been called to a G-7 summit, or at least a meeting of heads of state.
Three blocks away, roadblocks were erected, and emails were sent out alerting attendees to arrive ninety minutes before the 8.30 PM start time. Then another big ego, show producer Etienne Russo, kept asking guests to take a seat over the loud-hailing system. Guards hustled here and there, ordering passengers to have a seat on the green benches in front of the meter-square runway, which was designed in the shape of an LV Damier.
Just to look at some clothing, all of this. which thankfully proved to be a rather respectable assortment of gear. Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams put on a proud show, obviously working extra hours in his studio and atelier. The show began with an amazing array of jet-black suits, black tuxedos with crystal lapels, and a magnificent black velvet undertaker’s coat on a model with a dapper Damier-trimmed cap.
The American designer combed through an extensive array of materials in black, blackened steel, and anthracite, including rawhide, cashmere, techy leather, and suede monogram. An authentic exhibition featuring Stasi spy-coats, svelte jerkins adorned with monogram patterns, elegant chauffeur tunics, and Matrix killing outfits. Nearly all of them, in a variety of colors, were worn by black models. This was a potent message in a France that was on the verge of electing an extreme right-wing party known for blaming immigrants for the country’s ills.
A magnificent mink windcheater inserted with vertical columns of pearls, simple, frothy neoprene ensembles in dark putty, crocodile funnel neck bombers, and a beige, clean-shaven mink denim jacket are the highlights of the men’s fashion. Pharrell has labeled his supporters as the LVERS, making them the ideal clobber. Everybody wore Rubrik’s cube-hued bags and pearl-encrusted totes as accessories, and the presentation included the greatest orchestral mashup music of the menswear season, composed by Pharrell himself.
Williams’ collection for spring and summer of 2025 is named Le Monde est à Vous, which translates to “The World is Yours.” It was intended to honor “the humans that cohabit the Earth,” according to his program notes. swooping away from this world that we call home. According to the event, Pharrell Williams “reflects on the unifying spirit of the global mentality of Louis Vuitton” as “our international community comes together in Paris.”
Under Erik Reitzel’s renowned metallic globe, the whole area was off-limits to VIPs, with the exception of the middle of the garden. Not quite a unity. The segregation of visitors into two categories felt pretty crass, even in light of the justifiable worries about the safety of Bernard Arnault, the owner of Vuitton and the richest man in Europe.
