Paris meets Tokyo in Louis Vuitton
MANILA, Philippines - Paris and Tokyo have long engaged in a fashion dialogue, as shown in this season’s menswear collection for Louis Vuitton. Each great city shows its contemporary influence on Louis Vuitton’s men’s studio and style director Kim Jones, working under the artistic direction of Marc Jacobs, through their impression on the legendary American fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
“I was looking at the impact of and on French fashion of people from the outside, particularly the idea of an American in Paris,” explains Jones. “This led to thinking about the influence of Japan on France as well, that cross-fertilization that has occurred from the 19th century onwards, the notion of ‘Japonisme,’ something that Louis Vuitton has been part of from early in the company’s history.” In point of fact, this is something that can even be seen in the Louis Vuitton Monogram, which has a debt to Japanese graphics in its stylized Monogram flowers. “I was interested in the great impact of Japanese design in Paris in the ‘80s, of how modern global fashion began to unfold and its impact today,” continues Kim Jones. “I love Japan, I love Tokyo — it is a place of constant inspiration – and I saw that famous illustrator Antonio Lopez had that appreciation for the two cities, he had that global view as well.”
“Paris was a crossroads in the ‘70s for people coming from all over, rich and poor, it was a time when people came together and converged that he documented,” says Jones. “Lopez was also one of the first Western fashion people to make strong links to Japan, who worked there and was widely exhibited there in the ‘80s. I particularly admire his drawings of men from these periods, his heroic vision of men, these ‘City Warriors’ who could come from anywhere in the world. There was a quality and taste level to what he did that embodied luxury and he clearly understood it.”
This season sees a focus on the bold, graphic line and silhouette of the clothing. From the sinuous line of the ‘70s, to the pumped up silhouette of the ‘80s, from exquisite, tailoring traditions to meticulously researched technical sportswear, all is made completely contemporary. There is a mix and match attitude to all and a notion of the Western converging with the Eastern subtly in fabric, shape, technique, silhouette, and style.
The first section is a reimagining of Paris in the mid- to late-‘70s. Classic, elegant menswear is inflected with a subtle Japanese influence that will be explored more fully later in the collection. It is seen in such garments as the classic camel polo coat layered with a Western shirt and tie and a silk seersucker jinbei/kimono shirt, which at first appears like a waistcoat. Vicuna pajama trousers also add to a more Eastern fluid style. Mix and match wool suiting, a graphic baby camel “V” sweater and waxed jackets with crocodile trim —with beeswax no less and lined with Louis Vuitton blanket fabric — hint at “la vie de chateau” existence.
In the Japan section, the “City Warrior” appears fully-fledged. The silhouette of the clothing changes to the more voluminous style of the ‘80s and is more inflected by the military influence of technical clothing mixed with tailoring traditions. The appearance of the beret changes, as tough outerwear and protection become a preoccupation in the reflective fabric technical jackets and high-gloss black nylon bombers.
The final “Nightlife” section features a play on the traditional dinner suit reinforcing the notion of East meets West. Use of the jinbei/kimono shirt becomes more pronounced and also features as a silk suit. Traditional Japanese kimono fabrics are used throughout in Western styles of tailoring.
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In the Philippines, Louis Vuitton is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.
