From the pioneering sounds of the Neptunes to his streetwear innovation, sneaker design and adventures in Chanel women’s tweed, Pharrell Williams has covered a lot of ground in purveying new artistic ideas, whether they be sonic or sartorial.
It’s precisely why Louis Vuitton asked the music artist turned fashion collaborator to go full-time on fashion as the French luxury brand’s men’s creative director. And on Tuesday, Williams had his first opportunity to show what he could offer, at the spring summer ’24 menswear show at Paris Fashion Week.
It was an expectedly star-studded event, reportedly the brand’s largest menswear showing yet (even bigger than the late Virgil Abloh’s debut collection back in 2018). Beyoncé took time out of her “Renaissance” tour to attend, alongside husband Jay-Z. Kim Kardashian showed up in pixelated spandex and matching fanny pack. And Louis Vuitton’s latest menswear campaign star Rihanna made her highly-anticipated appearance, despite being reportedly near due date for her second pregnancy.
There was also plenty of anticipation for what Williams would put on the runway, of course. For any of the naysayers stuck on Williams’s lack of formal fashion design education or training, there were some moments to single out; misses on pattern play (there were a few too many pixelated moments), monogram bags that looked a bit too much like dupes (intentional or not), and clunky rubber work boots that ventured into the territory of another high profile music artist turned fashion designer.
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But there were also plenty of high notes, including much of the footwear.
A series of men’s Mary Janes in patent leather with a T-strap shape walked the runway. Paired with frilly, ruffled white socks, the look continued the conversation that Williams started when he first began to wear women’s Chanel tweed jackets and bags, showcasing ideas on how fashion might move past traditional ideas of femininity, masculinity and gender expression in general.
Next up, a fuzzy oversized boot revealed bear-like paw prints on the sole. While the shoes were gimmicky, it’s a simple but clever tweak to a bread-and-butter product category that all but guarantees it will become a commercial status item. Other purveyors of fuzzy boots might be kicking themselves for not doing the same.
There were also performance-ready embellished black leather loafers, adding to the conversation of how to get men back into dress shoes, and sure to get someone’s attention come holiday season (depending on when they will release). In sneakers, meanwhile, a series of colorful styles with white stripes down the front of the toe read a bit like bowling shoes. They were also paired with scrunched white socks and shorts, playing into a now-long-running spring-summer men’s trend that sees no signs of slowing down.
