We need to talk about Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton SS19

Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19 via AP

As debuts go, the Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19 show got all of the buzz and all of the love. The show sounds like a total emosh-fest, with Virgil and Kanye openly bawling all over each other at the finale. I wasn’t there but I saw it on the ‘Gram, which these days practically amounts to the same thing.

My verdict? It would have benefited with a much tighter edit. There was way too much styling, a few footwear misses and those multi-pocket Michiko Koshino-style vests were a tad overdone. But for a first collection, it wasn’t bad and it set out his intentions fairly clearly. (Charlie Porter writes it all up in the FT but the TLDR is that Virgil wants to elevate the ordinary for kids like he used to be. Hence all the sporty pieces that – apparently on close inspection – are made with demi-couture level pattern-cutting, fabrics and stitching.) Theatrics and emotional flim-flam aside, I filtered out the best bits so you don’t have to…

The all-white tailoring gave me Puff Daddy vibes and the monogram embroidered suit in particular offered plenty of red carpet potential
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19

Yes to the camel ensemble, no to the cheap and nasty looking chains on all the bags…
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19

A little bit The North Face on acid, a little bit poor man’s Raf, the Virgil fans will love this psychedelic number. (Wait, is anyone else getting Raf X Dior X Sterling Ruby flashbacks?)
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19

Something about this utilitarian red is speaking to me and this mega-pleated trouser shape was omni-present throughout the collection
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19

These abstract florals are interesting and poetic, yet designed to accommodate all shapes and sizes of Vuitton man
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19
Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19

WORDS: Disneyrollergirl/Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton SS19 via Telegraph (top) and Vogue Runway
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