It was Virgil Abloh’s sophomore show as artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear arm and the scene was set by the invite: a single, diamante glove in homage to Michael Jackson. Paris’ Tuileries gardens were transformed into a Manhattan Street for this extra special occasion. The clothes provided a discourse about how Abloh has shifted away from traditional ideas of streetwear and towards a narrative about America, expectations of masculinity and the progressivity of oversized accessories to weave a strong commercial story. All of that was very exciting, but there are only five reasons this Louis Vuitton production will be talked about today. Promise. Here are your crib notes on everything everyone cares about:
louis vuitton aw19 menswear
1 of 51. Timothée Chalamet On The Front Row
In China, there is a phenomenon called 'little fresh meat'. It's as seedy as it sounds as it refers to a young generation of stars that embody a 'softer masculinity', they are 'well-groomed, boyish appearance with delicate elfin features'. In Europe, we simply call this the Louis Vuitton front row, which also included Mos Def, Naomi Campbell, Skepta and Frank Ocean.
2 of 52. The XXL Cosy Coats
We can see our breath in the air and all we want is an oversized puffer coat. Thank God such a thing now exists.
3 of 53. Frank Ocean’s Handbag
Jacquemus predicted it and now it's happened: the micro bag has been traded in by the style set for ginormous totes. The first to take the trend from runway to real life? Frank Ocean.
4 of 54. Those LV Duffles
Virgil Abloh's first season as Louis Vuitton's artistic director of menswear saw him initiate fluoro as a trend, now he's turned his sights to day-glo. Think Paris Hilton's collection of early 2000s handbags blown-up in size and coloured neon pink or high-vis yellow and you've got a high-definition image of this new accessory line-up. Did we mention they also glow-in-the-dark?
5 of 55. The Music
If it wasn't enough for Dev Hynes to play live, Abloh also had rapper Sheck Wes walk and Alton Mason - P Diddy and Lil Kim's backing dancer - perform. Consider this a 360 music experience.