Wonderland.

BACKSTAGE AT PFW: LOUIS VUITTON

Virgil follows up his emotional debut with a theatrical Michael Jackson-inspired extravaganza for AW19.

Louis Vuitton AW19 group shot
Louis Vuitton AW19 group shot

Let’s set the scene. Leaves flutter atmospherically and steam rises from a makeshift replica of a New York street (incl. fire hydrants + graffiti), and all at once we are transported back to nearly a decade ago when the visuals for “Billy Jean” changed our lives forever.

Turns out, we weren’t the only ones that were shook in such a way, as artistic director Virgil Abloh revealed himself as number one fan with his Michael Jackson extravaganza for AW19 Men’s show in Paris – all soundtracked by Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes on a saxophone, FYI.

The devil was all in the detail, with models wearing glitter gloves, tees emblazoned with MJ’s signature white socks and loafers, and a model with shoulder-length raven hair sporting the swaggy street style update of the music icon’s white suit.

Elsewhere, oh-so-Instagrammable features sent a collective shudder of delight through the fashion world: XXL backpacks, houndstooth in the shape of the continent of Africa, and marshmallow puffer jackets indented with the house’s monogram.

To finish, Dev Hynes took to the dance floor with his sax, treading those distinctive light-up floor tiles from the “Billy Jean” music video, as well as a dreamy little dance routine (including a flip) from model Alton Mason.

Louis Vuitton AW19 show puffer jacket
Louis Vuitton AW19 glitter glove
Louis Vuitton AW19 show puffer jacket
Louis Vuitton AW19 glitter glove
Louis Vuitton AW19 show houndstooth coat
Louis Vuitton AW19 grey line up
Louis Vuitton AW19 show houndstooth coat
Louis Vuitton AW19 grey line up
Louis Vuitton AW19 show bum bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show flag bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show bum bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show flag bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show bag
Louis Vuitton AW19 show blue anorak
Louis Vuitton AW19 show embellished jacket
Louis Vuitton AW19 show blue anorak
Louis Vuitton AW19 show embellished jacket
Louis Vuitton AW19 show street
Louis Vuitton AW19 show street
Photography
Louis Vuitton / Matthieu Dortomb
Words
Maybelle Morgan