Where in the world is Virgil Abloh, and what brand is he collaborating with now? To recap: In the past year alone, the designer has worked with the New York City Ballet on costumes, with Warby Parker on limited-edition (but chic AF) black sunglasses, with Nike on Yeezy-fied Air Force Ones, and even with Ikea on a cool, fashion version of its iconic Frakta bag. And on Thursday evening, Kanye West’s longtime collaborator presented Off-White's spring 2018 collection in Paris — and beyond the Princess Diana references and Naomi Campbell appearance, the show featured yet another major collaboration. Hint: It's one that would make Cinderella jealous.
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On the runway, Abloh debuted a collection of handbags and shoes, designed in partnership with Jimmy Choo, the first time the iconic shoe brand has worked with a ready-to-wear label. Abloh shared the inspiration for the collaboration ahead of time on Instagram — a screenshot of the magical moment in Disney’s Cinderella when Prince Charming puts the glass slipper on her foot. He also shared an image of shoes wrapped in plastic, alongside the caption "glass slippers."
“To collaborate with a brand like Off-White™ allows Jimmy Choo to explore a new avenue and take part in a different conversation,” Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s creative director, said in a press release announcing the collaboration. “I love to mix it up by getting together with a different creative mind identifying our synergies and combining our DNA to create a beautiful and surprising collection with unexpected links to the roots of our brand.”
In July, the designer shared another peek at his inspiration for the collection on Instagram: A board filled with images of Princess Diana, accompanied by the caption, “one woman, 40 Off-White looks in the works come September.” On Thursday, that came to fruition: Titled "Natural Woman," Abloh's latest selection riffed on and remixed some of Lady Diana Spencer's most iconic looks. There were puff-sleeved, so-'80s blazers, bike shorts, and bags featuring the logos of People and LIFE magazines. A model was also seen carrying a present as a clutch, a nod to this iconic moment.
Though we'll have to wait six months or so for the full Princess Di collection to hit stores, the part-vintage, part-modern, all-princess shoes are currently available for pre-order on Jimmy Choo's website (and will be for one week). If you miss the boat, though, you’ll have to wait until February for footwear fit for an actual princess — seriously, the People's Princess actually wore the brand. And can you think of a better way to honor her legacy?