Bella Hadid hits the runway for Off-White as Paris gears up for Couture Week

Models including Joan Small and Candice Swanepoel congregate in the French capital to showcase Virgil Abloh‘s latest collection

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The City of Light is once again ablaze with stars.

Models and designers have jetted in for Paris Haute Couture Week, which begins in the French capital on Monday.

A number of storied maisons will hold physical runway shows after a year of online-only presentations, while a selection of labels will continue to showcase their latest collections virtually.

Ahead of Haute Couture Week's start, Off-White presented its autumn/winter 2021-2022 collection in the city, assembling an A-list roster of models to display designer Virgil Abloh's latest imaginings.

Scroll through the gallery above to see more from Off-White's autumn/winter show in Paris.

Part-Palestinian model Bella Hadid hit the runway on Sunday evening, sporting two electric-blue dresses – one mini, one maxi – by the luxury label, founded in 2012 by US-born Abloh.

Supermodels Joan Smalls, Amber Valletta and Candice Swanepoel also stepped out on the catwalk for the show, which featured a performance by British-Sri Lankan rapper MIA.

The ready-to-wear collection, entitled Laboratory of Fun, was a buoyant, lively affair, with splashes of neon, energetic, oversized silhouettes and models clad in furry masks.

Though playful, there was a measured maturity, too, with tailored separates, slimline coats and artfully constructed dresses.

Presenting both men's and womenswear on the night, the show marked Off-White's first physical runway display in 16 months.

Haute Couture Week back with a bang

The Off-White show preceded the opening of Paris Haute Couture Week, which will take place in the city between Monday and Thursday.

Marking a return to the runway for a number of brands, the four-day event will feature live catwalks from a select group of labels, such as Lebanon's Zuhair Murad, Dior, Chanel, Giorgio Armani Prive and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Scroll through the gallery below for a behind-the-scenes look at the Christian Dior maison, as the label prepares for its Haute Couture Week show:

Notable shows include Balenciaga, which will make its return to haute couture after 53 years, Maison Margiela, which postponed its spring/summer 2021 collection last season, and Pyer Moss, which will debut its first couture collection.

Online presentations, meanwhile, will come from the likes of Fendi, Giambattista Valli and Schiaparelli, with regional labels Georges Hobeika, Elie Saab and Maison Rabih Kayrouz also set to hold virtual shows.

Updated: September 05, 2022, 11:10 AM