Everything
One hundred percent merino wool, 80 hours of embroidery, 40 hours of confection for one night of magic at the Met Gala – that’s the incredible numbers game behind the custom made Louis Vuitton suit worn by rapper Jackson Wang.
This year’s Met Gala was a gift to the world of menswear. The event, normally a showcase of couture gowns or archival access in womenswear, was a chance for gentlemen guests to flex their sartorial creativity. An homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld, the theme (literally called Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty) was not just about his output but his personal flair.
Wang’s look was a page straight out of Lagerfeld’s playbook of subtle opulence expressed through the lens of Louis Vuitton. The fitted black jacket with mandarin collar featured military-inspired embroidery across the front with handmade braiding in the Louis Vuitton monogram flower finishing the decorative element. According to the house, the embroidery required 80 hours of work to complete while the decorative application took 40.
The sharp-cut trousers, made using 100 percent merino wool as was the jacket, were a classic nod to formal cuts of menswear. Louis Vuitton’s merging of formal and casual elements in recent collections has been so complete that the occasions highlighting the maison’s sartorial savoir faire is always a welcome surprise.
With all the talk of quiet luxury, stealth wealth and the debate around how the concept of quality is expressed, the stunningly detailed yet sublimely subtle work of Wang’s custom suit gives an insight into how these supposed codes have been rewritten. Again, a nod to Louis Vuitton as a house that straddles the divide between function and aesthetic.
