Paris Fashion Week — alongside Milan’s chapter, arguably the biggest moment for menswear all year — has been red hot.
In a metaphorical sense, with engaging Spring/Summer collections from the likes of Saint Laurent, Dior, Auralee and Rick Owens that have included a barrage of poppy colors, collabs decades in the making and perversely perfect footwear. But also in a very, very literal sense; the French capital, when air conditioning is famously taboo, is currently experiencing a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures spiking well into the hundreds of degrees. (In Fahrenheit, not Celsius. At least, for now.)
Maisons have been coping in ways that they can. Jonathan Anderson’s Dior pushed its show, a coalition of aristocratic ravewear, earlier in the day in an attempt to dodge the worst of the heat. Celine relocated its presentation completely, shifting to an (indoor) tennis club.
None of these moves has yet topped Louis Vuitton. For the historic fashion house’s show on Tuesday, the hottest day ever recorded in gay Paree, Creative Director Pharrell Williams and company didn’t just ply guests with Evian and hand fans — they built an entire cascading waterfall.
To be clear, it would be a mischaracterization to suggest that the centerpiece of the iconic label’s fashion show — a massive, functioning water wall feature, complete with sandy bank and seats for invitees — was built explicitly for the current heat. Especially for well-resourced brands like Louis Vuitton, that crown jewel of the LVMH mega-conglomerate, set designs are locked in months, if not years, before the collections walk them, and this particular work of stagecraft, a giant, walled structure constructed at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, would have taken some serious planning and days of construction.
Still, it was a serendipitous choice; you’d imagine the artifice would have induced a serene, mirage-like effect on the baking attendees — for the hordes of press, buyers and VICs that included Jeremy Allen White in an immaculate navy dress shirt and the towering Victor Wembanyama, a step into a veritable oasis.
This feeling was no doubt exacerbated by the accompanying Spring/Summer 2027 collection, which, according to the show notes, promised a “dandy experience emerging to the rhythm of surfing codes” that looked fresh off a sesh at Malibu Beach.
Jewel-toned, wavy and overtly inspired by both skate and surf culture, there were more than a few oceanic references sandwiched in between Pharrell’s signature casualwear; brochacho-esque models padded across sand in relaxed neoprene tailoring and sun-faded leather, but also printed shirting, long denim shorts and Ugg-inspired shearling mini-boots.
Nonchalant surfer aesthetics similarly popped up amongst the offered accessories. Given Louis Vuitton’s illustrious and lucrative history with luggage, it was no surprise that the collection went heavy on accessories, but alongside the traditional clutched embossed handbags and rolled boxy trunks — a mainstay at any LV show — there were also ornately embellished surfboards: one triathlete, clad in a logo-monogrammed wetsuit, opted to sling a custom Pinarello road bike.
It’s far too early to tell if the open water gear, or the highly controversial Vans dupes, will make a splash with consumers. Regardless, you have to give Louis Vuitton credit — in that kind of heat, even a moment of tranquility is hard to come by.
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