Yesterday in Paris, Louis Vuitton held its Spring/Summer 2023 menswear show at the Louvre’s Cour Carrée. Guests were seated along the aisles of a winding yellow track within a whimsical installation recalling a raceway destination, not unlike a video game. The designs were introduced with fanfare after a full marching band parade marked the start of the show. Complete with high-stepping drum majors and flag twirlers in LV-branded garb, the Tallahassee-based group The Marching 100 set an energetic precedent for the season’s debuts, which came in tribute to the house’s former Menswear Creative Director, the late Virgil Abloh.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
As the band marched onward, their sounds trailing off into the distance, a voice from the crowd became recognizable as that of Kendrick Lamar.Mentioning the beloved designer while performing tracks from his latest release—the long-awaited album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers—Lamar’s verbiage rang loud through speakers as the performer sat, unassuming, amid the show’s audience, dawning a crown of thorns and an oversized gray suit. The first look that proceeded down the runway was a suit in lavender, its broad shoulders and loose-cut trousers bearing the undeniable maison signatures.
The imagination and its uplifting abilities—a facet of the Louis Vuitton ethos—shone brightly across the presentation, from the runway configuration to the collection itself. As the show transpired, the feeling that childlike wonder doesn’t have to disappear with age was underscored through details pulled from a playground of elements—playdough hues, cartoon prints, and toy-inspired beading and shapes could be found painting silhouettes that nodded subtly to the look of 1990s skate wear. We saw origami handbags, zig-zag-scalloped hems, and angular caps reminiscent of a retro Soda Fountain uniform. Chunky skater sneakers were worn with baggy jeans and trousers alike, paired with patterned knits or elongated jackets that were covered in colorful patches.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Looking to reduce waste, the collection saw a suite of upcycled looks made through repurposing overstock materials and refreshing old concepts. Thought-invoking details like building blocks-turned accessories, toolbox objects that became embroidered pendants, and special SpeakerMan backpacks (to be taken as literally as the name suggests) accompanied some of our favorite pieces. Ensembles still on our minds include a suit in a graphic black-and-white print with ties up the pants legs and a collar that twisted in place of a bowtie; a double-breasted trench in lavender with matching trousers featuring zip-up details at the hem; and a long skirt with cargo pockets, styled with a tie-dyed hoodie, a matching bucket hat, bubbly slip-on shoes, and a handbag recalling a child’s lunch box.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
