Louis Vuitton’s Man And Dior’s Man Are More Similar Than You Might Think

What is a dandy? A man who, through his elegance, stands out from the crowd, but who at the same time elevates personal style into a true cult, as a form of rebellion against social norms. And if in 18th-century Great Britain this meant choosing garments with simple silhouettes but meticulously crafted materials and details, what defines today’s dandy? The answer comes from Pharrell Williams with the Louis Vuitton runway show and Jonathan Anderson with Dior’s, which may seem stylistically very distant yet actually share the same vision of luxury—one that celebrates the excellence of craftsmanship.

Regardless of style, what connects the collections of the two brands is a more fluid vision of menswear, which acknowledges how, today, a growing segment of men who can afford the luxury seen on the runway (the so-called VICs, Very Important Clients) choose garments and accessories that express their value through exceptional materials, treatments, and decorations.

Oversized cardigans or sweaters that require hours upon hours of craftsmanship, fabrics that, upon closer inspection, reveal themselves to be far more complex than they first appear, jeans and trousers that are distressed or “stained” as the result of intricate processes of bonding, embroidery, and dyeing.

Whether heading to the seaside or having a late-night drink in a Parisian club, the essence remains the same: nonchalant yet meticulously precise, where every item is carefully chosen to form a whole that may at times seem almost casual, but is anything but—and it proves it through every detail.