Kim Jones was going 'On The Road' for S/S 14. He may have missed the Walter Salles boat, but he caught the Kerouac spirit perfectly. This was about the formative stages of a young American man's life - high school, sports competitions, prom.
It was freedom that Jones was looking to capture, hence the diversity of the items on show - this collection was built for men who never stay in one place or mindset for too long, the Dean Moriartys of this world. There's a Moriarty vibe to luxury menswear houses in general at the moment - they don't quite seem to know if they're coming or going or what the future holds, see Gucci's surprising sportswear reinvention. But Jones had used this time of change and indecision and ran with it, producing a collection which never lost a sense of focus despite its variety. America's young men have a pack mentality, as with all youth cultures its about tribes - there's the jocks, the preppy guys, the frat boys, the rebels, the misfits and the spoilt trust fund kids. The strength of this collection was its ability to capture the spirit of almost all of them, and provide them with something new to wear, be it a relatively crass monogrammed metallic prom jacket or a preppy bomber or bandana-print shirt. It's that diversity that will keep the Vuitton wheels churning and ensure that their suits keep selling to the suited and booted while their daywear pulls in a younger, more adventurous luxury shopper.
