Keith Warren and Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Grey leather gilet. Autumn-Winter 2006-7.

Grey padded eather gilet

Given by Charlie Porter

This is part of a group of early 2010s menswear donated to the V&A by Charlie Porter, one of the most influential British menswear fashion journalists of the early 21st century. In 2000 Porter became deputy fashion editor for The Guardian, and since then, has worked as an associate editor for GQ and deputy editor for Fantastic Man. He currently writes for The Financial Times as their menswear critic, in addition to his freelance work, DJ-ing and maintaining an active blogging presence online. Porter is particularly known for his understanding of contemporary menswear and familiarity with developing streetwear and alternative trends.

At the time of the donation, Porter provided commentary on many of the pieces. He said of the Vuitton pieces:

"Velvet dungarees, leather gilet - This was from the era when Louis Vuitton menswear was designed by Keith Warren, working under Marc Jacobs, with styling by Katie Grand. The show was in January, and I was working at GQ and GQ Style. That Christmas, my secret santa gift had been a pair of fake fur earmuffs, which I proceeded to wear in the bitter cold of the menswear shows the following month. I happened to have a new gilet too, and so was my basic look each day was gilet over something else, with earmuffs. Katie saw me during that week, and commented on my look. A week later in Paris, on the catwalk of Louis Vuitton came a model in a gilet, wearing with it real fur earmuffs with an LV logo on each ear. I had my gilet on, and my earmuffs. We went backstage, and I asked Katie how quickly they could make something like a pair of fur earmuffs. She said, less than a week.

At the time, the collection was pretty much just for editorial. Once the press office had finished with the season, they asked if I wanted any of the pieces. And so I took from the show the velvet dungarees, and the leather gilet. The dungarees I wore all the time, and particularly once playing records at the George & Dragon with Princess Julia, not long after she’d first asked if I wanted to try out DJing. The leather gilet was always on my back, as can be seen by the number of press studs that have fallen off - a piece made just for the catwalk, not real life."

NB: These pieces were not intended to be worn together. The dungarees were featured in the Autumn-Winter 2005 collection, while the gilet was in the following year's collection. It was shown on a topless model wearing iridescent dark blue hipster trousers, matching gloves, and grey fur earmuffs., with chunky black boots. The dungarees were shown either with a grey knitted cardigan jacket and fur scarf with LV logo, or over a dark maroon T-shirt with peaked cap; in the A/W 2005 collection.

- Daniel Milford-Cottam
20/05/2016

T.108-2015