Fashion

Virgil Abloh was honored in a big way in his hometown -- with a memorial service full of big names ... including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, just to name a few.

The service went down Monday at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Chicago, with scores of people showing up ... including the above-mentioned names, and many more. Other stars who were there -- Tyler the Creator (who delivered an emotional eulogy), Drake, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean and A$AP Rocky.

Like we said ... TTC was one of the handful of folks who spoke, and he ended up breaking down in tears remembering Virgil.

It turned out to be more than just a somber affair -- there was a live performance put on by none other than Lauryn Hill, who was also wiping away tears throughout. All in all, the service made for a lot of waterworks, and a lot of tributes and stories in Virgil's name.

On the way out, paps caught Kim with some shades on ... and also snapped RiRi and A$AP arm in arm, with everyone looking pretty blue. Ye was spotted outside too -- but he actually stopped to sign a bunch of autographs for people.

As we reported ... Virgil recently passed away from cancer -- a private battle he didn't disclose publicly, but only his closest friends were aware of. He'd just been tapped to head up Louis Vuitton's men's line as their artistic director -- this after a successful run as CEO of Off-White, his own fashion house.

The news sent shockwaves across Hollywood and beyond -- with an untold number of stars coming out with condolences ... as Virgil had friends far and wide in the entertainment industry.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott were put on ice by W Magazine -- they were supposed to appear on the cover but the mag pulled the plug after Astroworld -- but the cover photo has apparently leaked.

This video is now making the rounds ... it's actually just a video of the alleged cover photo, and you can see why W felt it was the wrong time wrong place. It shows a pregnant Kylie and Travis with Stormi in a sweet pose. Travis appears to be listening to their unborn child's heartbeat. We're told Travis, Kylie and W made the decision amicably to not run the cover.

Sources close to the two tell us they're still very much together as a couple. This after rumors swirled that Kylie split with Travis following the fallout.

The cover surely wouldn't sit well the families of the 10 people who died during the Astroworld fiasco and the hundreds who were injured, and that would explain why W would want to 86 the cover photo.

A W insider told Page Six, "W editors have cleared any planned coverage of Travis and Kylie from their website, but the magazine was already printed, and now they are trying to stop the delivery trucks," adding, "In light of what happened at Astroworld, the interview and cover lines seem inappropriate, to say the least."

It's clear many of the families are angry at Travis ... the family of Ezra Blount, the 9-year-old who died at the festival, rejected Travis' offer to cover funeral expenses, and they're not alone.

TMZ has spoken to attorneys repping the families of 14-year-old John Hilgert and 27-year-old Danish Baig -- both of whom perished during the event. In each of their cases ... the families have opted to snub TS, with one family suggesting it's a slap in the face.

Attorney Michael Lyons -- who's representing Baig's family in a civil lawsuit against Travis and others -- tells us ... "We received a written offer from Travis Scott's attorney Dan Petrocelli indicating that he would pay $7,500 in funeral burial costs and my clients are rejecting that."

Virgil Abloh's newest Nike collab has reportedly been postponed ... this, after the death of the beloved fashion designer.

The Off-White x Nike Blazer Low was originally set to release on Dec. 7 ... but now won't be available to purchase until later into 2022, according to Nike Kicks.

As we previously reported, Abloh -- the founder of Off-White and creative director of Louis Vuitton -- passed away after a private battle with cancer on Nov. 28.

Just hours after his death, a massive demand hit the resale market for the Off-White sneaker collection ... with over 40 pairs of the popular Air Jordan 1 "Chicago" Nike collab selling for prices ranging from $6,565 to $10,500 on StockX.

So far, no word on what will happen with the Off-White Air Force 1 Mid (expected to launch in 2022) or any of his unreleased work.

Abloh was the first Black American creative director at Louis Vuitton and was known for his amazing fashion sense -- especially in the sneaker culture -- creating some of best kicks in the game, like 'The Ten' collection.

The 41-year-old also designed Nike kicks for Serena Williams for her 2018 US Open.

"Since 2016, Virgil has been a beloved member of the Nike, Jordan and Converse family," Nike said in a statement after his death.

Diddy is swooping in to try to save his namesake brand ... and he's got grand plans to breathe life back into Sean John.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the music and fashion mogul's company recently bid $3.3 million to buy the clothing line's assets out of bankruptcy.

Diddy founded the fashion and lifestyle brand way back in 1998, but as it stands now, the brand management firm, GBG USA Inc., which owns 90% of Sean John, is currently in bankruptcy.

The company has reportedly been looking for someone to come in and buy the brand since May ... and now Diddy is stepping up and looking to be the winning bidder.

Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... he is very excited about the prospect of reacquiring Sean John and if successful, he plans to reinvigorate the brand.

Virgil Abloh was a game-changer in the fashion world, but not only for his designs -- he was also committed to bringing diversity to the industry ... according to Billy Porter.

BP was at Dulles Int'l Airport Tuesday when we got his thoughts on Virgil's passing ... which rocked the fashion world and beyond. Like mostly everyone else who got the sad and sudden news, Billy was equally shocked.

We asked Billy what Virgil meant to the culture, and he told us there's a big shift right now in the fashion industry toward more diversity and inclusion -- and he's giving Virgil big props for sparking it.

Seeing how Virgil was the first Black man in history tapped to head up Louis Vuitton's menswear line, it goes without saying he did so much in that regard ... and Billy emphasizes that here.

BTW, Billy had just touched down from overseas, where it sounds like he attended a fashion award show -- and it seems folks there were just as somber about Virgil's passing as here in the States.

Virgil Abloh was honored by some of his closest friends -- including Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Kid Cudi -- along with fashion industry titans during a beautiful show in Miami.

The Louis Vuitton runway show titled "Virgil Was Here" just wrapped, featuring all-new looks from the brand directly inspired by the late creative director. Ye, who was one of Virgil's closest friends, had a front-row seat next to North, followed by Kim ... and Kid Cudi, who was also close to Virgil, walked as a model in the show.

The show opened with words from Virgil, talking about how he'd encourage adults to create like they were children ... Quavo, Pharrell, Gunna, Lil Baby, 21 Savage and Joe Jonas were also in attendance.

Kim posted a touching tribute to Abloh Monday, saying, "God doesn’t make mistakes. I know that but I still can’t help but ask why. Why Virgil?! Why him so soon? it’s simply hard to understand why. I have a hard time understanding why so many pure souls were taken away so early."

The show wrapped with the LV design team, some in tears, getting a standing round of ovation from those in attendance followed by Virgil's voice saying, "Life is so short that you can't waste a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do vs. what you CAN do." and a beautiful firework show with the city of Miami as the backdrop.

"Virgil Was Here" comes less than a week after the 41-year-old's sudden and tragic death.

Virgil Abloh is getting a nod from his hometown, with nothing less than his own day to be recognized going forward ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the City of Rockford, IL tells TMZ ... city officials are dubbing Wednesday, Dec. 1, as Virgil Abloh Day. There's no real significance in the day itself, we're told, other than them wanting to pay tribute to the Louis Vuitton artistic director as soon as possible.

The rep says Mayor McNamara will make the official announcement tomorrow, where he'll read the proclamation drafted for Virgil Abloh Day.

As for why they're even doing this in the first place ... we're told Rockford brass feel like it's warranted considering VA's impact on the community, especially the youth. The guy set a great example for citizens there, and they want to celebrate his contributions with something legit.

We're told Virgil's family was notified and thrilled with the news, but it's unclear if they'll be in attendance for Wednesday's ceremony.

Like we told you ... Virgil died over the weekend after succumbing to cancer -- a disease he was battling privately for years. His passing sent shockwaves all over the entertainment industry, as the man had lots of friends and influence in high places.

He was 41.

The recent string of mass shopliftings in retail, high-end and jewelry stores has corporations desperate for a way to stop thieves, and one new strategy seems to have done just that ... resulting in several arrests.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Lululemon Athletica has been putting tracking devices on store merchandise -- not necessarily to stop the theft from happening, but to recover lost goods after the crime takes place.

We're told as a result of the trackers, police were recently able to track down several women in a vehicle in Orange County, shortly after they'd hit a Lululemon store in Los Angeles.

Cops recovered around $15,000 worth of stolen Lulu gear when they pulled over the vehicle ... along with another $5,000 in goods stolen from other stores in the area.

As we've reported, it was just last week when a Louis Vuitton store was ransacked in a San Francisco smash-and-grab that looked like it was out of a movie ... with the alleged thieves scrambling to waiting vehicles.

Another flash-rob happened at an L.A. area LV store recently as well.

NBA forward and sneakerhead P.J. Tucker is honoring fashion icon Virgil Abloh with his shoe choice for Monday night's game ... rocking a pair of Off-White Jordan 5s with a special tribute.

The Heat baller showed off the kicks prior to taking the court against the Denver Nuggets ... which have messages etched in Sharpie -- "Thanks for a lifetime of inspiration" and "Virgil will always be here."

The gesture comes one day after Louis Vuitton announced the passing of its artistic director ... a loss that affected tons of celebs across sports and entertainment.

Tucker actually posted a pair of Off-White Jordan 2s the day before Abloh's passing was announced ... which read "Air Tucker" and "Virgil 2021."

Abloh was beloved in the sports world ... with athletes like Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Odell Beckham and more speaking about his tragic death.

"Rest In Paradise LEGEND!!!," LeBron said Sunday ... with KAT adding, "Stunned….Rest In Power"

Count Affion Crockett among those who are big fans of Rihanna's trailblazing pajamas ... he says her new ass-out offerings are perfect for couples snuggling up in the cold.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked him about SavageXFenty's latest offering in loungewear -- the Tied Up Tartan Open-Back PJ Pant -- and its wide-open bottoms.

Affion says he's all for ladies showing more booty, and thinks the PJs are great for anyone cozying up by a fireplace on a chilly winter's night.

Naturally, some folks are wondering how people will utilize these unique PJs when going to the bathroom -- but Affion tells us it's not a good idea to cross streams between sexy time and toilet time.

We also asked him if men can pull off this look and he says, yes!!! Well, ONE guy could, anyway.

Kanye West is grieving the loss of his close friend, Virgil Abloh, and it seems he's deleted every post on his Instagram page in response the Abloh's death.

Ye's Instagram page went blank Monday, about 24 hours after it was announced the Louis Vuitton visionary had passed away after a private battle with cancer. Kanye has not spoken out publicly since the news broke, but the two had a very strong friendship, so you have to imagine he's devastated.

Celebrity tributes poured in from celebs, athletes and all sorts of people who had either interacted with Virgil directly or had been inspired by his work.

Kanye and Virgil had their bumps in the road along the years -- with Kanye upset Virgil had taken the Louis job -- but they resolved things in 2018 during an LV fashion show. The two embraced, cried, and everything seemed to be good from then on.

One of, if not the last time, the two saw each other was at Kanye's "DONDA" listening event in Chicago.

While his cancer battle was entirely hidden from the public, those closest to him -- including Kanye -- knew Virgil had been sick for quite some time.

Virgil was just 41 years old.

Rihanna is dishing out a new line of pajamas for the holidays -- with a pair of bottoms that show off, well, your bottom ... but it seems she's making a push for bigger girls to buy 'em.

The fashion and beauty mogul took to IG this weekend to plug SavageXFenty's latest offering in loungewear -- the Tied Up Tartan Open-Back PJ Pant, plus the accompanying bralette and sleep short ... which feature a checkered pattern and come in a couple color schemes.

Indeed ... she showed off her rockin' bod with the demonstration, including a sneak peak at her derriere, which is partially exposed with the open-back design. Quite the show!

Here's the interesting thing, though -- on Sunday, RiRi posted a link to her SxF site where folks could buy the clothes she just showed off ... but she selected a specific page that appears to highlight plus-size models, for L and XXL.

There are four models that appear in the promo shots, and sure enough ... they too got their asses out as they showcase Rihanna's PJ line. What you don't see (at least for this color option) are models for small sizes, like M, S and XS -- even though you can buy those sizes.

If you click on the lighter color option for the open-back pants ... you see models that appear to be more on small side of frames ... with XS and S demonstrated, but there's also a medium-size model and yet another 2X model.

For the darker shades of the pants, it looks like Ri and co. decided to prominently feature the bigger women, and even gave another plus-size model some shine in the light option. Just to keep track ... that's 5 larger models to 3 others whom some might consider a more traditional model-like figure -- at least for this pants sale, that is.

Bottom line ... you don't necessarily have to look exactly like Rihanna to look good in her clothes or lingerie, and she appears to be hitting that point home with this latest campaign.

Virgil Abloh -- the artistic director for Louis Vuitton and the founder of Off-White -- has died ... this according to his respective fashion houses.

Louis' parent company, LVMH, made the stunning announcement Sunday ... saying Virgil passed away Sunday of cancer, a disease he'd been carrying and battling privately for several years now apparently.

Their CEO Bernard Arnault adds, "We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow, and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend."

Like we said ... Virgil was historic in the fashion game, as he was the first black man to be tapped to take charge at LV with its look and vision in early 2018. He was a revolutionary designer and was also good friends with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Speaking of Ye, Virgil and him had been feuding in recent years -- alluded to on some of Kanye's songs -- but they squashed their beef during the 2018 Paris Louis show, where they embraced in front of cameras and posed together too.

Ye seemed to be upset that Virgil had taken the Louis job at the time, as opposed to perhaps working exclusively with him.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... he and Virgil remained close in recent years, and VA even attended one of Kanye's 'DONDA' listening events in Chicago this year. Not just that -- but we're told Kanye was also one of those close to Virgil who was aware of his illness.

Their relationship goes back years ... all the way to 2009 when Virgil was interning for Fendi, where he first rubbed shoulders with the rapper/producer. He went on to start Off-White ... which took off as a major success.

Virgil's meteoric rise is unlike any other ... and his talents did not go unrecognized, especially among the rich and famous. He had many, many admirers and friends in Hollywood -- including models, actors, singers, rappers, musicians, athletes, traditional artists, fellow designers and, of course, business executives from multiple different industries. He is also a fixture in the media.

One of the last times VA was seen out in public was a full month ago, toward the end of October ... when he was photographed walking the streets of NYC with a snowboard in hand. Looks like this might've been a collab he was working on, which he was handing off to vet shredder Russell Winfield ... who held on to what Virgil had apparently made for him.

Just goes to show ... the guy was a designer in every sense of the word, even beyond just wardrobe and apparel.

Virgil leaves behind his wife, Shannon, and his 2 children. He was just 41.

RIP

A group of thieves rushed a Home Depot in SoCal for what may lead to more looting and robberies -- making off with hammers and crowbars in what's becoming an alarming trend.

Cops say about 10 individuals hit up a HD in Lakewood, CA -- just outside of Long Beach -- Friday night ... going directly to the aisles that had large wrenches, crowbars and sledgehammers, as that appeared to be the only items they were interested in.

Somebody got video of the alleged suspects escaping through the front doors, pushing past people. One employee claims as many as 20 people ransacked the place, and were allegedly threatening to hit people with said stolen goods if they attempted to stop them.

While most got away ... the police say they've nabbed 4 people they believe were involved.

On the opposite side of town -- in ritzy Beverly Grove on Melrose -- a luxury retailer called Bottega Veneta was also raided by an unidentified group of people ... who allegedly stormed in, grabbed purses and other goods and then fled before cops could arrive.

These are just the latest of a string of smash-and-grab/flash mob-style robberies that have not only hit the Los Angeles area ... but elsewhere in California, and well beyond our state lines.

There have been reports of similar types of crimes happening in Illinois, Minnesota and other states -- and cops have gone on high alert to try and curb the brazen attacks on stores and businesses.

It's hard to tell to what extent this spree is, and among who -- although in some cases (like in Walnut Creek) it's quite obvious there's some coordination going on ... as many as 25 cars reportedly blocked off a street and lined up side by side as passengers exited and cleaned out a Nordstrom.

Of course, there's not much citizens -- let alone employees -- can do to stop this. Reports say anyone who's attempted to get in the way has risked getting attacked with pepper spray or being swung on ... and workers are usually told not to try and play Batman for this scenario.

Indianapolis Colts DB Isaiah Rodgers LOVES himself some Thanksgiving ... 'cause he just copped a pair of Turkey-inspired cleats -- with feathers too!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... artist Rodney Jackson hooked up the NFLer with some new cleats ... with the theme being centered around the annual Fall holiday.

They're pretty dope -- they feature a design of a turkey on the toe of both cleats ... and are decorated with Fall leaves on both sides with brown laces to match.

Of course, the highlight of the shoes is the touch of brown feathers Jackson added to the back of each cleat ... almost guaranteeing that all cameras will be pointed at the dude's feet when he rocks 'em.

Rodgers' Thanksgiving cleats mark the latest time he and Jackson have connected this season to produce some heat -- Jackson blessed Rodgers with some Terminator cleats earlier this year.

The Colts play Tom Brady and the high-powered Bucs offense this Sunday ... and the dudes gotta at least wear these things for warmups, right?!?

Britney Spears is getting the jump on some Black Friday shopping ... hitting up a mall near her crib the day before Thanksgiving.

The singer ventured out Wednesday for some retail therapy at The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks, CA ... and she definitely stood out.

As you see, Britney wore some bright red boots and showed off her legs ... keeping warm with a puffy white jacket, and rocking sunglasses inside.

We've been seeing Britney out in public more and more since her conservatorship came to an end after 13 years ... she recently hit up WeHo hot spot Catch with her fiancé Sam Asghari.

The shopping trip is definitely a welcome sight for Lance Bass ... remember, he recently told us he wants to see more of Britney enjoying her life in the open.