Source Book 1: Fashion Show

In my Fashion Photography course at Bentley University, I dissected Virgil Abloh’s Off-White Fall/Winter 2020 menswear show, titled “Tornado Warning,” presented at Paris Fashion Week.

This image reflects Virgil Abloh’s show, Tornado Warning, which references his metaphor of “collaborative tornado” that he describes as his creative process. This is one of my favorite runway shows because it feels distinctly different from others, as it frames the pieces as something lived in and responsive to real environments, and feels like an embodied experience rather than a visual display.

Opening

This image captures the opening moment of the show, where tap dancer Chauncy Swaby is suspended mid-movement beneath the chandelier as “Solid Ground” by Michael Kiwanuka plays. The dancer’s lifted body and extended gesture introduce rhythm and performance before the first look appears, visually setting the tone for the runway.

Atmosphere

In this image, the runway flooring is made of wooden pieces, which also helps amplify sound and movement during the opening tap performance, while contributing to the industrial tone of the environment. The stage is relatively bare, apart from the rectangular sheer white curtains draped in the middle surrounding the singular partially concealed chandelier. Lighting remains muted throughout the show, allowing shadows to play an active role in the visual composition. The slight arch of the ceiling with the audience positioned along both sides of the runway makes the space feel expansive, vast, and intentionally vacant. I imagine this minimalism was designed to create visual breathing room by limiting clutter, to allow attention to remain on the clothing rather than unnecessary decorations. 

Silhouette Details

This image highlights how Off-White’s relaxed, deconstructed silhouette is activated through movement. The tailored jacket and trousers hang loosely on the body, allowing the fabric to shift naturally as the model walks forward, emphasizing motion rather than rigid structure. Cut-outs, logos, and layered textures and graphics create visual rhythm across the body, reinforcing how the clothing is activated through motion rather than remaining static. Throughout the runway, models interact with one another through gestures like fist bumps and high fives, introducing moments of real-life exchange that further animate the garments and the collection’s connection to lived, physical experience. These interactions break the usual repetition in runway shows, capturing attention and making each moment more unique. 

Audience

This image emphasizes how the audience lines both sides of the runway, creating a sense of proximity and shared energy between the models and the crowd. This tight shared-space relationship heightens the immediacy of the show, allowing gestures, movement, and sound to travel directly between performers and viewers. Instead of the audience feeling like an observer, they get to become part of the atmosphere, contributing to the tension and rhythm of the space while reinforcing the show’s grounded, real-world presence.

Closing

This closing image captures the moment when the models gather within the central rectangular curtain enclosure, shifting the energy from forward motion to collective presence. They interact with one another inside this confined space, so the focus shifts from individual silhouettes to shared experience. The chandelier casts a warm, soft glow, transforming the interior atmosphere and contrasting with the cooler, more restrained lighting used previously. This warmth creates a sense of intimacy and closure, reinforcing the human scale of the presentation. When Abloh joins the models at the end, the boundary between designer, performer, and garment collapses, emphasizing collaboration and community.

This runway inspires how I think about fashion as artistry and performance, with the elements of music, movement, and mood, which I can reference in my own photography. This show uses a multi-sensory creative experience as part of its narrative and presentation, and influences how I want to photograph movement and layering in everyday settings.