Volez, Voguez, Voyager—Fly, Sail, Travel—Louis Vuitton’s mantra this season, inspired by early 20th century LV graphics, was an invitation to take off; what could be more luxurious than that? Kim Jones’s seasonal travels have introduced so many exotic stimuli into menswear from Masai-inspired plaids for his SS12 debut to FW13’s “Garden in Hell” print with the Chapman brothers inspired by the kingdom of Bhutan…So where next? Answer: India. Taking advice he had long ago from Louise Wilson, and also because his parents named him after Rudyard Kipling’s “Kim,” Jones spent ten days travelling in and around Rajasthan from Jaipur to the Taj Mahal.

And from that visit came an injection of color, pattern, handwork, military tailoring, and a new higher waist and slightly flared leg for Louis Vuitton. Jones dedicated the collection to Wilson who passed away recently. And he explored several new directions for menswear.

Chiffon, zigzag pattern short sleeve shirts flew like bright,Indian flags teamed with high waist, sundial buckled trousers. There was a slight seventies feeling here, but it’s more about the guards of the palaces in Rajasthan than hippies. Bomber jackets, flight suits and patchwork polos in pink, orange and khaki evoked jodhpur princes in the air and on horseback while the white and black croc sneakers were the latest in casual opulence. Meanwhile, new trunk designs, one with everything a composer needs and a guitar case with sheepskin lining updated Louis Vuitton’s special order offer. Finally, taking the bomber and flight suit into indigo blue and covering it with Indian Shisha mirrored embroidery, a hybrid of Indian embellishment and military style, was something out of the blue from one of fashion’s most free-flowing minds. RV