Virgil Abloh‘s Off White collection for women for fall 2017, was one word, and that is gathered. Looks were clean and confident and blended beautifully, starting with dusky blue plaid coordinated separates, moving seamlessly to a sporty deconstructed range of skirts and jackets and finishing with super feminine, filmy ruffle dresses. Stand out items included a striped fur stole and coat, a filmy lace top barely embellished with off white over the left breast and the return of the popular Binder Clip bag in new colors.
The collection was titled “Nothing New” and indeed, there were some looks that returned from prior seasons (including the woodsy backdrop from pre-fall) and while those items weren’t new-new, they were either modified or improved upon.
Looking at offerings, one could fairly conclude Abloh being dissed by his fave, Raf Simons, and kicked in the shins by his friend, A$AP Rocky, put him in a mindset not unlike Cam Newton after watching opponent Odell Beckham score a tying touchdown in the 2015 NFL playoffs. Newton observed the unlikely comeback with a nod, and proceeded to get down to business and win the game.
And Abloh actually said as much in an interview with Vogue, in which he explained the thinking behind the collection.“That critique, I finally heard it out loud, which is great. To me, it was a launchpad to think about what I am doing and why I am doing it, to live with that phrase and recognize what it means,” Abloh told Vogue, “You would sit there and say it over and over to get at the emotion. It was motivating.”
See the collection beneath the nodding Cam Newtow…