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 watched from the front row alongside Beyoncé, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, and more A-list attendees; and Williams wore a pair of iced-out sunglasses worth more than my entire life savings and current belongings combined. All in a day's work.
On June 20, 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 totaling at more than 20 carats. (That's like doubling Kourtney Kardashian's enormous engagement ring and dicing up the diamonds, for reference.)
Sunglasses that flashy come with quite the hefty price tag. Maxwell Stone, a diamond expert at UK-based jeweler Steven Stone, told POPSUGAR that he estimates they're worth around $100,000. That's more than the annual rent my roommates and I pay for our three-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. That's like two years of tuition at Harvard. That's more than . . . well, you get the picture.
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 more than a year, first showing them off at Kenzo's Paris Fashion Week show in January 2022 then bringing them out on the 2023 Grammys red carpet. That particular pair was embellished with both round diamonds and emeralds and had horizontally aligned teardrop-shaped lenses. His ongoing collaboration with the jewelry 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.