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.
Jaden Smith at the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2026 show held at the Palais des Papes on May 22, 2025 in Avignon, France.
Swan Gallet/WWD
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.
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.
Chloë Grace Moretz, Jaden Smith, and Sophie Turner at the Louis Vuitton 2026 Cruise Show in Avignon, France.
Stéphane Feugère/WWD
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.
