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.
