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As the heavens threatened to open and thunderclouds rolled overhead, Virgil Abloh applied the same optimism that’s inherent in his fashion collections to the weather for his open air show. And, like his fledgling two previous seasons of clothes designed to make you smile - Wizard of Oz motifs, spangled glitz and a more global, all encompassing kind of view as the first African American designer at a major Paris fashion house - his gamble paid off.

Abloh took over Place Dauphine on the Pont Neuf island on the Seine and Vuittonified a Paris street; cafes spilling over, crepe stands, street vendors selling Eiffel Tower souvenirs. And a bouncy castle, for good measure. Which (like the invite to the show, which was a kite) turned out to be indicative of where the creative director of Louis Vuitton’s head was at; the carefree days of childhood.

Pastel tones - the same shades as the branded ice cream cart winding its way down the street - painted loose, flowing trousers and breezy coats, and wildflower bouquets were embroidered up coats or laser-cut across leather jackets, or printed in vivid, artistic splashes across vivid hued silk shirts and trousers.

Live wildflowers erupted from hats and bags too; those ever important Vuitton accessories embracing nature. Deliberately naive-looking, boxy shirts with transparent over-laid panels came in baby blue, blush pink and pale yellow - nursery colours applied to items that could be classed as ‘streetwear’, if that category even exists in simplistic terms anymore.

That it’s more complex nowadays is in part thanks to Abloh, who raised eyebrows when it was announced that he was to take the helm at the storied house. Previously, he’d built up a reputation as a designer of cool, urban streetwear at his own label, Off-White, which became garnered cult status among millennials; how could that be applied to Louis Vuitton and it’s strata of luxury?

The answer, evident in this spring/summer 2020 collection, is to elevate the urban elements and employ the skill of Vuitton’s ateliers; the message might have been one of childlike simplicity, but the clothes were extremely sophisticated in their execution.

The colours might be Crayola, but there’s a serious level of artistry involved, from the floral embroideries, to the crochet sweaters. A tie-dye cagoule might at first look like festival attire, but a closer inspection reveals the ripples are made from ruched silk.

Suits have been a preoccupation for Abloh at Louis Vuitton - a grown-up alternative to the youth-centric streetwear - and for spring, his tailoring proposal was soft-structured and flowing, with a button system on the vents at the back of the jackets to allow a more voluminous stance.

The quest to make suits that speak to millennials who’d rather be in trainers and sweats is a momentous one in menswear, and Abloh’s answer is seductive; less ‘done-up’ and more organic. Some of the catwalk theatrics - the inflatable bags shaped like balloons drew comparisons with the spectacles at London designer Craig Green’s shows - might have added to the noise, but underneath the hijinks were some serious suits.

The setting, so close to the eerie silhouette of damaged Notre Dame, might have been a deliberate allusion to hope; but whatever the reason, Abloh’s homage to all things childlike was in fact his most grown-up and sophisticated and elegant collection yet.

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