There will never be enough tributes to commemorate the unexpected loss of Virgil Abloh last November yet the final show Abloh designed for Off-White was as close to a physical eulogy of respect that there could be, bringing out top faces that haven’t walked in years. The all-gendered “Spaceship Earth” collection was presented the opening day of Paris Fashion Week at Palais Brongniart with the customary Off-White motifs of sportswear and elevated streetwear intertwined with and the usual cheeky quoted branding he used as a signature, now more existential as he asks us to “QUESTION EVERYTHING.” The fall 2022 ready-to-wear collection also showed with a “high fashion” runway line, with each of the 28 couture-caliber looks annotated with detailed notes of labor and rare textiles used. In this section was when the high wattage casting chosen by Liz Goldson truly shined, joining supermodels of all eras including Naomi Campbell, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Joan Smalls, Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber, Adut Aketch, and after skipping Sunday’s SAG Awards, a surprise appearance by Serena Williams, who wore Abloh designed Off-White outfits on the tennis court on numerous occasions. The reverence of the cast backstage registered the show as more of a celebration with beauty looks crafted by Jawara and Cécile Paravina emblazoned “FACE” in his signature quotes across models’ cheekbones.
