Two weeks ago, Virgil Abloh posted an image on his Instagram feed that teased at the Spring women's collection for his label, Off-White: Set within a motif of Beverly Hills Hotel-inspired banana leaves, we find the word Nebraska rendered in red collegiate typeface. Framing a prairie state in tropical vibes pretty much fits the definition of counterintuitive. But for Abloh, whose reference spectrum spans everything from Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye to the defunct clothing chain Steve & Barry's, this juxtaposition contained a bounty of bonus layers. By decontextualizing Nebraska, a purposely generic state selection, he imbued it with newfound cachet. With the banana leaves, he provided insider-y subtext. And finally, isn't a college sweatshirt essentially an exercise in branding, albeit one broader yet more nostalgic than a monogram handbag?
As it happens, this is Abloh's sophomore women's collection, and with it, he's determined to transcend his streetwear reputation—not that he now rejects the genre. To be taken seriously as a designer, he realizes he needs to step up his fashion game. And he's succeeded insofar as working with his Milan-based studio to solve the obvious challenge of making elongated pleated crepe skirts—"an abstracted cheerleader story"—looks sexy over pants. Seemingly challenging proportions (bibs atop reworked sweatshirts and slacks that puddle at the floor) somehow exceeded objection. As the longtime creative director for Kanye West, Abloh is familiar with pushing past the stylistic status quo, but in detecting a hint of Saint Laurent here or Céline there, you sensed him squaring his retail aspirations with the editorial zeitgeist. Either way, the dimensional innovations of his Off-White diagonal graphic impressed, whether appearing flocked into a mesh bomber or extended as fringe. And the hand-painted denim suggested the art influence still has legs. Abloh's debut women's collection, cheekily titled "I Only Smoke When I Drink," borrowed heavily from his guy gear. This time around, the introduction of French lace—strategically see-through like the negative space between the banana leaves—served as his feminine volte-face. Straying too far from streetwear (for instance, with a wraparound draped top that fell short of the fluidity exemplified by Madame Grès) was the most noticeable misstep. Otherwise, Abloh's enthusiasm and intuition remained persuasive. Nebraska as code for cool:
That's original.
The collection is cool though but I think black models would have pulled off this collection better.
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