It Would Be So Much Easier for This Man to Move If This Were the Peoria Skyline

You win, Virgil Abloh. I’ve made numerous promises this last year to never speak of you again, and yet here I am, doing exactly that. I’m obviously the biggest hypocrite when it comes to these things—a gargantuan personality flaw rivaled only by your unquenchable thirst for throwing my life into disarray each fashion week.

One theme of Louis Vuitton’s menswear catwalk over in Paris was, obviously, New York City. The callbacks to ‘7os era trenchcoats and hats and carpet bags signaled those intentions well enough, were it not for the literal, human-sized array of buildings Virgil closed the show with. Yes, Virgil Abloh, the man who launched a billion terrible “streetwear” knockoffs, sent a model off into the fashion ether draped in the New York City skyline. It looked like papier-mâché, but it could very well have been stuffed padding, akin to puppets. But why New York, whose tall buildings restrict movement? Why not, say, Peoria, or another place with a flatter cityscape?

Now, this isn’t Abloh’s first foray into the extremely literal—his many brand collaborations and “utility harnesses” come to mind. But it was this building ensemble, more than any other nonsensical creation he has mustered, that was a tad too far. Or, I’ve lost my sense of whimsy, and what could be a playful fashion moment reads to me as a banal attempt at viral publicity.

Well, here you go Abloh. I’m giving it to you—free of charge at that!

It would have been an utter waste of time for Abloh to send more than a handful of buildings down the runway, and thankfully, he did not. The rest of the collection was the usual affair for the Fall/Winter season. I particularly enjoyed the coats, a strong point in Abloh’s rather limited arsenal.

The plaids were another high point, as was the contrasting on the LV logo—which, I should be clear, has grown a bit stale these last few years.

Another strong entry in the menswear arena were these appliques button-ups overlaid with a sheer turtleneck. Brilliant use of proportions!

Did I mention the hats? There were some really good hats, even if the ties read a bit “casino chip counter” for my liking.

But of course, Virgil being Virgil, he couldn’t quite help himself, and had to offer up just one more set of buildings. Ok! That’s enough fashion for now.