Pharrell Williams's first Louis Vuitton show certainly lived up to the hype. JAY-Z and a gospel choir performed; models walked over the oldest bridge in Paris; a pregnant Rihanna [1] watched from the front row alongside Beyoncé, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, and more A-list attendees [2]; and Williams wore a pair of iced-out sunglasses that are single-handedly worth more than my entire life savings and current belongings combined. All in a day's work.
On 20 June, Williams made his debut as Louis Vuitton's menswear creative director during Paris Fashion Week, and he pulled out all the stops with his look. The singer-turned-designer chose a suit bearing the collection's pixelated "Damoflage" print, a matching hat, and his latest pair of over-the-top sunglasses. Custom-designed by Tiffany & Co., the gold shades feature tiny egg-shaped lenses and are encrusted with more than 80 (!) baguette and round diamonds totalling at more than 20 carats. (That's like doubling Kourtney Kardashian's enormous engagement ring [3] and dicing up the diamonds, for reference.)
Sunglasses that flashy come with quite the hefty price tag. Maxwell Stone, a diamond expert at a London-based jewellers called Steven Stone [4], told POPSUGAR that he estimates they're worth around £78,000. That's more than the annual rent my roommates and I pay for our three-bedroom flat.
This isn't the first time Williams has stepped out in extravagant eyewear. In fact, he's been wearing similar custom Tiffany & Co. sunglasses for the past year, first showing them off at Kenzo's Paris Fashion Week show last January and bringing them out on the 2023 Grammys red carpet [5]. That particular pair was embellished with both round diamonds and emeralds and had horizontally aligned teardrop-shaped lenses. His ongoing collaboration with the jewellery brand could hint at an eyewear collection in the future — one that would likely be way out of my budget, but a joy to admire from afar.
Join me in daydreaming about one day owning diamond-adorned sunnies by checking out Williams's pair in detail ahead.
