Pharrell Presents His Own Riff on Ivy Style at Louis Vuitton

No season is better positioned as a time to revisit the classics than fall. Thanks to the cooling temps and return-to-campus nostalgia, it’s a peak time for layering the likes of corduroy, camel hair, and cashmere. Ivy style is an omnipresent reference for everyone from Ralph Lauren to Thom Browne and if you thought it was limited to the States, I suggest you pick up a copy of Teruyoshi Hayashida’s 1965 classic, Take Ivy. But an approach that’s too studied is tiresome, a gold-buttoned navy blazer can feel uncomfortably square these days, and sporting merch of a university you didn’t attend? Just don’t.

But if anyone can inject the look with an undeniable cool factor, it’s Pharrell Williams.  Remember when Williams sported strands of pearls on a Chanel runway in 2019, ushering in a new era of gender fluidity? Now, no one bats an eyelash at a so-called “bro brooch” on the red carpet. This fall, the Louis Vuitton men’s creative director examines the transatlantic cultural exchange that was central to classic collegiate style, marrying rowing aesthetics with dandyism.

The tradition muted palette gets a graphic update courtesy of pops of color informed by school pennants, an LV monogram tartan, as well as on theme embroideries and crests that extend to small accessories in the form of what are sure to be covetable caps, scarves, and ties. While there’s a strong emphasis on tailoring, the capsule’s silhouettes are anything but stiff. Case in point: Look 1, which features an oversized rugby strip shirt, untucked, atop a tartan kilt. Meanwhile, a double-breasted jacket with an abbreviated hemline gets a further update courtesy striped, elasticized banding at the cuffs and hem for a sportier look.

I’d be remiss to not mention the bags. The suede Speedy P9 (which comes with two silk scarves) is a standout as is the rugby ball-shaped clutch—just don’t forget the must-have bag charms (the collection mascot is a turtle).