Text by Sanjeeva Suresh. Images: Getty Images.

Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter '22 (Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images)

Now that’s how you do a tribute: the Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter '22 menswear collection was a clear love letter to the late Virgil Abloh. Dubbed the “Louis Dreamhouse”, the collection was aimed to “consolidate the themes and messages of the eight-season arc Virgil Abloh created at Louis Vuitton”. The Carreau du Temple in Paris provided the idyllic backdrop to showcase this homage as dancers carried out performative choreography, narrating a hyper-realised version of a fashion heist. Steeped in symbolism, the collection was in one word, heavenly–with angels and bags shaped as floral bouquets.

Bag detail, at the Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter '22 menswear runway show (Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images).

Utilitarian looks with belt-bag finishes, fluid shapes with floral motifs and abstract three-dimensional pieces were all giving a clear nod to Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer '20 collection. The exploration of masculinity and femininity with the inclusion of skirts was a clear reference from the Autumn/Winter '21 collection. You could even say the inclusion of white head-to-toe ensembles were taking you back to the Spring/Summer '19 collection while also keeping in theme with the runway’s empyrean quality. Some of the stand-out looks were the full white ensembles–from a white relaxed-fitted suit completed with a medieval plague mask to the breath-taking details of vast, sculptural lace angel wings. Of course at Louis Vuitton, the bags were front and centre, with dynamic Keepalls in checkerboard motifs and surreal leather bags in the form of “exterior paint”.