Chicago Magazine: Behind-the-Scenes with Virgil Abloh (Kanye West’s Style Adviser)

He calls Chicago home, but Virgil Abloh spends most of his time traveling the world as Kanye West’s art director—a job that calls for his input on everything from live shows to designing limited-edition sneakers. An architect by training, Abloh is on the frontlines of global fashion, art, and design, but his ties to Chicago stay strong: He’s an owner of RSVP Gallery, a lifestyle boutique on Damen Avenue, and a partner in @Superfun, a branding and events company, which regularly throws parties at JBar. “I make it back a week for every quarter of the year,” he says, “but I stay in tune because this is where I’m from.” On a recent trip home (fresh from Paris Fashion Week), Abloh, 30, weighed in on what’s catching his eye in men’s style this season.

“My first influences were a cocktail of growing up in the Jordan era, [watching] hip-hop videos after school, and window-shopping on Michigan Avenue.”

IGGING GOLD: Abloh’s own accessories with a Prada Lurex pullover ($910 for a similar style), at Prada, 30 E. Oak St.; 312-951-1113, prada.com

BASEBALL FURIES “Any jacket that has a baseball-jacket shape, I’m going to look at. No matter what. It’s a classic shape that’s rarely done well,” Abloh says. These are his picks—from classic to goth—from the fall menswear collections by (left to right) Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, and Givenchy. Kanye West sported a Givenchy jacket during Paris Fashion Week this spring.