Jaden Smith disrupted typical menswear codes at the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2026 show on Thursday, arriving in sculptural bag shoes that underscored Pharrell Williams’ gender-fluid vision for the house — one defined by boundary-pushing silhouettes and archival remixing.
The artist and actor wore a monochromatic maroon look built around an oversized, windbreaker-style parka with exaggerated volume and hardware detailing, including a zippered chest pocket and gathered hem. A matching hood and trousers maintained the tonal continuity, but the focal point came at the footwear.
Smith’s boots, from the Louis Vuitton Fall 2025-26 collection, were lifted directly from the women’s runway and featured an avant-garde slouch silhouette in soft gray. The design was constructed with layered fabric that buttoned at the ankle and widened into a cuffed opening at the calf. Their softly squared toes and plush texture played against the utilitarian, weatherproof quality of the rest of the look — more cocoon than combat.
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The boots were first previewed during the brand’s Fall 2025 women’s presentation in Paris earlier this year, styled with ponchos and sculptural separates — part of Williams’ continued push toward modular, multi-gender design. Smith’s decision to wear them disrupted traditional menswear proportions, anchoring the outfit with softness and shape instead of edge or structure.
He completed the outfit with a lantern-shaped handbag in classic LV monogram, which he held aloft like a prop — a nod to both theatrical gesture and the house’s recent interest in object-as-accessory styling.
The look followed a styling rhythm Smith has leaned into before: layered silhouettes punctuated by a single standout accessory. At the Spring 2025 ready-to-wear show in Paris, he wore low-rise black trousers and a structured jacket with an exaggerated collar, layering a bevy of necklaces and stacking rings and bracelets beneath the cuffs. A Louis Vuitton belt, finished with a dangling bicycle keychain, offered a touch of improvisation.
The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2026 show was staged at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, continuing the brand’s tradition of historic locations as backdrops for future-facing fashion. Past Cruise destinations have included the Salk Institute in San Diego and the Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore.
