Louis Vuitton AW10 Dazed Digital Review/Interview

http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/6329/1/Louis_Vuitton_Menswear_AW_10-11

There was a massive shift back to a more classic Louis Vuitton at Marc Jacobs and chief designer Paul Helber’s Autumn Winter show today Thursday. And the audience seemed to like it, and why not? This – a formal, smart, slick and dark collection – is what LV does best. And why change a winning team? The previous collection looked towards New York’s bike messengers for inspiration, but this show was inspired by authors living in 20th century Vienna, and more specifically the likes of Franz Kafka and Egon Schiele. This wonderfully academic inspiration meant that an intellectual over coat matched each sporty nylon jacket we saw. But even the less organic fabrics had been treated with a more traditional array of detailing, such as felt, tweed or leather panelling.


The obligatory LV luggage came in a few monogrammed versions, but much nicer were the abstract prints that adorned a handful of bags and rucksacks (courtesy of artist Christian Schoeler), and no doubt a by product of Helbers’ interest in Vienna’s artist community. Brown – in a nice chocolate shade – and black were popular colours, together with grey and one little dose of neon yellow. Narrowly cut trousers were often tucked into boots, and more often than not were flat front ones without belt loops. We saw waterproof leather jackets in just every shape, form and length available to mankind.


Traditional and classic LV outfits dominated in a safe, but stunning, autumn collection. Once or twice did a younger and fresher look pop out, be it over sized shirts that were – stop the presses – not tucked into the trousers, or grey tracksuit bottoms. But Helbers and Jacobs nevertheless set the bar high for the rest of the designers on the Paris menswear schedule.


Dazed Digital: It was quite an intimate setting today, with little space between the audience and the catwalk!
Paul Helbers: I like that you get close to the models, it’s very critical. You have to see it close up to understand the clothes!


DD: Briefly, what inspired you this time around?
Paul Helbers: A 20th century Vienna artist and his wardrobe. They are prototypes for today’s lifestyle, which is all about blurring the boundaries between business and leisure, and making a combination of the two.


DD: It was fairly dark and moody – is that all to do with it being an A/W collection?
Paul Helbers: It’s got to do with the mood we were in. We’ve done a few seasons with colours, and we wanted a contrast for this one.


DD: Did I see clogs on the catwalk?
Paul Helbers: Yes you did! Austrian mountain clogs. Since it’s based around an artist’s wardrobe, I thought it’d be nice to have some free spirited shoes as well!


DD: Do you have a particular Franz Kafka book that you like?
Paul Helbers: Not really, we used quotes from several different ones, and they were incorporated into the music.


DD: What’s your favourite piece from this particular show?
Paul Helbers: A coat with satin sleeves with shearling body. It’s not sportswear, it’s not elegant – it’s a piece you can’t define.

Louis Vuitton SS10 Dazed Digital Review/Interview

Even though Marc Jacobs has fought hard to keep all his shows on schedule since That Incident, the Louis Vuitton SS10 show ran 30 minutes late. But it wasn’t so much his fault, and let alone his Studio Director Paul Helbers, the man responsible for this collection. No, it was more down to the chaos caused – pre and post show – by American super R’n’B group Black Eyed Peas, who’s job it was to fill the gaping void left by Kanye West from last season. There was catwalk chaos for a while, but LV has always been a hot ticket, American bling stars present or not, and it’s not so much to do with Vuitton being trend setting, but more about being the ultimate definition of pure luxury and class.

This time around, Helbers looked to the hustle and bustle of New York City for inspiration. Through the speakers came the Big Apple’s soundtrack; car horns, shouting, police sirens, jazz saxophones and, of course, Velvet Underground. The scene was set, cue an army of jackets in Taxi Cab Yellow and light-weight coats in a bright red, representing stop lights. Utility was big throughout, and a fair few models had detachable hoods strapped on, others sported belt bags. A reintroduced Taïga collection meant leather goods were a plenty, but the over-sized rucksacks blended in nicely with the theme.

We also saw jackets in all shapes and colour; cropped ones, silk tuxedos, the classic LV M65 inspired jacket with multiple pockets and trench coats covered in abstract prints. Marc Jacobs’ Louis Vuitton always make an impression, and SS10 didn’t fail, but it always come down to one thing; this is more about style than fashion. At the end of it, Dazed Digital stole a few words from Helbers.

Dazed Digital: What was the main idea behind Gentlemen Butterflies?
Paul Helbers: I wanted something that was sportswear related, and that’s where the bike messenger idea came from. They come from all over the place, live in New York and bring elements with them from where ever they’re from, mixed in with hi-tech pieces from New York

DD: How would you describe it?
Paul Helbers: It’s kind of an active and dynamic silhouette but in a very elegant way. But some is also roughened up a bit, which makes it suitable for travelling.

DD: Was there a particular mood in the collection?
Paul Helbers: It’s cool, relaxed and about doing whatever you feel like doing, so there is a very positive and liberated feeling in there.

DD: Why did you call the collection Gentlemen Butterflies?
Paul Helbers: That’s what I call the bike messengers. We took inspiration from their wings, like jacket and shirt collars and so on.

DD: What’s your favourite piece from this collection?
Paul Helbers: I really like the biker blazer, which is like a traditional blazer that has been re-cut in a way that almost looks like a sports jacket. It’s one of my favourite items this time around, I would wear that all the time. But I also like the sequined shoes!

Photography by Giovanni di Nunzio.