Pharrell William’s veritable Virgil Abloh 2.1 for Louis Vuitton will win fans. It has to

We did not stay up for the show. We woke up for the show. But show there was not. It was late. Most livestreams begin 30 minutes after their scheduled/advertised times. But this was not most. The first thing that came to our mind was, “Rihanna is late.” which reminded us of the Met Gala. At 4.15am (10.15pm in Paris), there was still the screen of the LV Damier check that they have been showing all night on our screen. Forty-five minutes on, there was still no show. Would it be midnight in Paris before the event starts? Or sunrise here? Then at 4.16, the full video of the teaser they showed earlier on Instagram prefaced the runway action. The back of a pearl-wearing Black fellow (he could have been Pharrell Williams or A$AP Rocky, but was neither) was seen walking on the bank of the Seine. He approached an older Black guy seated on a bench, and joined him. A pause. Then he asked, “Do you admit to yourself how bad you want it?”

At this hour, frankly, no.

But since, we’re here…

This was deja vu. We were hyped to believe that some greatness will be on display, and then this. The venue maybe different, but the story is the same. An African-American takes the creative reign of a French luxury fashion house. Celebrate that. He offers the world an abundance of unabashedly-branded things to buy. Rejoice in that. This was Louis Vuitton at its flashiest, its most amplified. There is no doubt only LV can stage this riparian spectacle (only thing missing were fireworks). Le Pont Neuf (the new bridge in French) across the river Seine had to be shut to all traffic for the show (the rumours of the day was that the entire neighborhood was closed). A stage on the rive gauche side was set up for the full orchestra and on the bridge itself, oversized gold LV checks were painted across the length of the longer span, on which the runway was sited. This is Paris’s oldest standing bridge and yet it could bear the strain of the staggering weight placed on it.

Lang Lang, the star accompanist

The choir Voices of Fire, singing the anthem of the night Joy (Unspeakable)

But what struck us in our drowsy stupor was how much the presentation was modelled after Virgil Abloh’s show-as-entertainment. There was that opening film-with-a-message, also featuring men generations apart. Further down, a gospel choir togged in LV robes, sang; their voices soared to the heavens, their harmonies kept feet taping. A rousing performance, led by Mr Williams’s uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams, to show how far Black creatives have come. Or an anthemic boost to the work well done. This was Sunday service with a fashion runway show, an idea not dissimilar from the ill-fated Yeezy show from last year. Pharrell Williams told Reuters before his big moment, “My brother Virgil was the first. He made so many strides for the house, and did so many things. He brought skate culture into this world – while being an American Black man. It’s unreal the fact that I get to do this as well.” This was yet another Black celebration, as Depeche Mode would sing.

We couldn’t deny the entertainment value of the show, the wow-ness. It felt like some reality TV in the making, or a street carnival in New Orleans. In the middle of the show, a couple of what might have been golf buggies drove up and down the the bridge to show off LV trunks! The presentation was backed by a full orchestra performing (behind them, the LV HQ), and for diversity, the keyboard accompanist was Lang Lang on his Steinway. The Chinese pianist, probably dressed in LV, had the best view of the presentation. The bridge-turned-runway was flanked with at least five rows deep of attendees, both sides beyond them, the gleaming waters of the Seine reflecting the night lights. And possibly even catching the blink on some of the exuberantly patterned clothes sent out by Pharrell Williams.

And yes, the clothes. That was what we woke up for. One thing that immediately struck us: Mr Williams assumed that there are many men who want to dress like him. In fact, many models appeared to be gleeful clones of the Happy singer. So much on the pont was on point for a duplication of his own wardrobe that they reminded us of the celebrity collaborations of the ’90s when brands looked at what the stars wear to create co-branded lines. The kind of cute dress combos that would commensurate with trite editorials such as “13 Times Pharrell Williams Proved He’s a Master of Style”. We know that Mr Williams is not a big fan of the oversized (except, perhaps, the odd, slouchy coat). So, the silhouettes of the collection, while not tight, kept close to the body. There was no rethinking of the shoulders, no reworking of the sleeves, no reshaping of the legs of pants. This was designing by template, and using cheerful prints to make the difference. And those small/condensed-frame glasses the late Dame Edna Everage would appreciate.

The starring role of the collection irrefutably went to the Damier, LV’s more-than-a-century-old checkerboard pattern. Mr Williams used them neat—some in standard size, some gigantic, but he also allowed them in various colours (best exemplified in the now-trending Speedy bags). This was simply Damiercore, loud and clear, the better to please he who signs his paycheck. And did not cross the threshold of the imaginative. Had-to-be-Instaworthy were those that were pixelated, and, in some cases, allowed to morph into—unsurprisingly— camouflage prints, also another favourite pattern of the designer. In fact, he loved this version of pixelated-Damier-in-camo so much that he wore a suit made with the fabric to take the customary end-of-show bow. LVMH was likely thrilled to bits to see one of their house codes transformed into still recognisable forms, orderliness in tact, commercial potential assured, securing Mr Williams’s position as the Damier Darling and the Pixel Prince.

From left: Beyouncé, Jay Z, Bernard Arnault, and his wife Hélène Mercier

The Williamses: A family that dresses alike stay together

The garments were merchandised to fill the many LV stores around the world (and the pop-ups expected to launch the collection) with just that—merchandise. But, in all likelihood, Mr Williams had certain corners of Dover Street Market in mind when working in the LV design studio. Wearable, but with a judicious touch of quirky. Contemporarising, the optimists call it. A veritable Virgil Abloh approach, too. The whole collection was easily picking up from where previous guy left off. And like Mr Abloh, his successor threw into the mix a pleated skirt or two (no one knows how well those actually sell) to make the rest—varsity jackets, hoodies, track tops—edgier than they would have been otherwise. In fact, “elevated basics” or “luxury streetwear” will be widely used to describe the clothes, but the collection could well be The Gap for the affluent. Oftentimes, when you examine the separates in the stores, they fail to arouse. We fear Mr Williams’s pieces will stir the same ache.

The show was over at 4.40am (10.40pm in Paris). And, yes, Rihanna was there. As expected, in LV, and with belly for all to see. Beyoncé—taking a break from her Renaissance World Tour—and Jay Z were there too; they were seated next to Bernard Arnault and his wife Hélène Mercier. When Mr Williams emerged to take his bow, he appeared to take off his cap in salute as he came in front of his boss. There was no Kanye West to come forward to hug him. But his family—dressed like the patriarch—was there, and they came together for a tight squeeze. As he left the runway to return backstage, he mouthed to the camera what the choir was singing: “If you want it, you can have it. If you need it, you can have it.” Most LV lovers—or “LVERS”, as sported on the clothes—would heed his call. Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton debut is designed and poised to be adored. There is no other way LV will allow it to go.

Screen shots: Louis Vuitton/YouTube. Photos: gorunway.com