An Understated Louis Vuitton? Groundbreaking
The future of luxury is about everything but logos. Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton kicked off Paris Fashion Week in grand fashion on Tuesday, with a Fall 2026 menswear collection that effectively defined what a luxury house looks like (or ought to look like) today. During his tenure with LV, Pharrell’s collaborated with Timberland and brought bodacious westernwear to Paris. What we saw this week felt more restrained, more confident, and more wearable. Not to put too fine a point on it but the future of Louis Vuitton, by the looks of it, is good clothes. This is, believe it or not, an understated Louis Vuitton.
The Fall 2026 menswear collection eschews plastered branding in favor of smart fits, practical pieces, and timeless drapes under the banner of what the show notes accurately described as “Timeless.” Tailoring stood out as a particular highlight, with a single-breasted brown suit looking about as good as a single-breasted brown suit has ever looked. Another double-breasted off-white number bridged the gap between Carey Grant and Goodfellas, perfectly proportioned for the modern dandy but also woven like a cutting-edge shell jacket, with ample high-tech innovations hidden beneath the seams. Reflective yarns, "termo-adaptive" silk and chambray materials, and even aluminum-bonded textiles demonstrate an adventurousness that goes beyond skin-deep.
In keeping with trends across the sneaker and footwear industries, there was nary a chunky trainer in sight. In fact, there was hardly a sneaker in sight. The collection instead focused on simple streamlined silhouettes in quality suedes and leathers.
It’s far from tame, mind you — a new LV Drop silhouette inspired by old-school running sneakers stitched wavy suede patches to a sleek upper and draped them in bold magenta tones. Still, the footwear excelled when keeping things simple. A leather dress sneaker inspired by cycling shoes that featured perforated leather in natural monotones — heavy old-school golf shoe vibes here — was pure texture and tone. And the LV Hoxton subtly infused a monk-strap dress shoe with “performance” capabilities (or so LV says).
More than anything, Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton feels authentically wearable in a way that luxury hasn’t in years. There’s a clear focus on ageless pieces in silhouettes that will look as good ten years from now as they will when they release later this year. It’s not about reinventing the dress shirt so much as making the best (and subtly weirdest) one possible with the resources available, or remembering that pleated trousers have never really gone out of style (skinny jeans be damned).
No outfit on display in the showroom stunned quite like a checked Harrington jacket worn with a simple two-button henley tee and hearty khaki trousers. It’s an outfit well-dressed dudes have worn some variation of for decades, with Pharrell’s touch being a keen attention to detail in proportion and craftsmanship for a recognizable LV touch. And for those in need of their LV logo fix, fear not — it adorned much of the collection’s accessories and luggage as it so often does, as well as a stunning leather bomber jacket.
Since joining the house, Pharrell has explored the idea of luxury and what it means in the 2020s through his work with the house. In the Fall 2026 collection he’s found an answer: clothing that puts craft and wearability above posturing and presentation. Does the future look a little familiar? Sure, but it should. This is a reminder that true luxury never goes out of style.
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