There’s much to celebrate about the Weeknd’s Super Bowl LV halftime performance, which brought art-forward pop to a stage most often reserved for gimmicky cameos and spectacle for spectacle’s sake.
One moment, of course, gave us a top-tier meme format that will surely turn up again in year-end roundups.
And as for the fashion side of the night’s continuation of the narrative-driven After Hours aesthetic, Abel turned to the House of Givenchy for a custom outfit.
“It’s truly an honor to have dressed the Weeknd for his incredible Super Bowl show,” creative director Matthew M. Williams said in a press release. “To me, fashion is all about infusing what you wear with a unique personality, and the Weeknd brought his look to life with his energy, character, and sense of style.”
During the show, Abel rocked a fully hand-embroidered jacket with crystals. The jacket, realized by the Givenchy Hate Couture atelier in Paris, required four embroiderers and a total of more than 250 hours to bring together. Under the jacket was a black cotton poplin shirt and wool trousers, as well as a black leather tie and gloves. Completing the fit was a pair of black and white derbies.
The day before the performance, Williams gave a bit more insight into the creative process behind the look in an interview with Liam Freeman for Vogue. According to Williams, Abel and his team came into the discussions with “a clear vision” of what they wanted the costumes to look like for Sunday’s show.
“The way Abel reflects on society’s conversations all the time is what a true artist’s essence is made of,” Williams said. “He challenges the way we see art and the way we listen to music.”
Due to the pandemic, Williams noted, he and his team were not able to embark on their usual process of traveling back and forth for meetings and fittings. Instead, they stuck to Zoom meetings, ultimately landing on the overarching goal of “making the Givenchy version of [Abel’s] signature 70s look.”
In case you missed it, or just want to take it all in again, peep the Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance in full below:
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