This season the Big Dog at Louis Vuitton menswear turned the maison into a niche à chien. Alongside a barking selection of LVers-branded dog accessories—among them, a bowl, harness, poop-bag holder, collar, and a magnificently OTT Louis Vuitton dog house—Pharrell Williams and his studio unleashed a pedigree collection of menswear and human accessories too.
This lookbook starred many good boys. The fun came in spotting the various dog-related details that came inserted within the menswear. These included an intarsia shearling jacket and sneaker patterned with Dalmatian dots, dog crest shirting, loafers with bone-charm collar detailing, a double-dog portrait silk souvenir jacket, dog portrait bandanas, many best-in-show rosettes, and an ingeniously conceived “meta houndstooth” that replaced a dog head for the more traditional chickenfoot element. Dog-sized berets were worn alongside man-size equivalents, and bone shaped bowl trunks and multiple dog luggage tags—in paw print or portrait designs—were sprinkled amongst a collection of bags that included freshly fabricated Keepalls and Messengers and a new four-pocket Cargo Hobo design.
It wasn’t all about dogs. Feline pattern jumbo slippers and loafers made for an inclusive gesture while the backdrop to all that puppy product was a menswear collection that more broadly expanded Willams’s specific take on contemporary dandyism. The rosettes gestured to the ceremony of the dog show, which proved a bridge into looks referencing British menswear tradition. These references included a sleeveless cricket jersey, LV-tweaked argyle pattern tailoring, and some Fair Isle knitwear. Williams’s favored boot-cut silhouette was nicely developed in a house emblem denim bleu de travail full look, while the broader postmodern Ivy League wardrobe was present and correct.
Williams’s closest previous canine collaboration probably counts as “Drop It Like It’s Hot” back in 2004, so why go so hype on hounds right now? LV’s Big Dog was not made available to explain, although it’s a well-established fact that in times of financial stress many pet owners will prioritize their animals above almost everything else. Whatever the reason, this collection will doubtless get tongues—and tails—wagging.