NEW YORK (AP) — Looking down on the New York Fashion Week crowd, model Frida Aasen dramatically flung her LaQuan Smith shearling coat from the balcony of the ritzy Rockefeller Center Rainbow Room and emerged down the cascading staircase following the infamous words of “Dynasty” actress Joan Collins:
“I now own this house.”
While the display was intended to evoke the ’80s Hollywood glamour inspiration behind Smith’s Monday night show, it was also a subtle reminder to his attendees that this was a house that LaQuan Smith has built from the ground up into a global luxury brand launching with Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.
As Aasen descended with a briefcase, fashion week attendees got a close-up look at the artful tailoring of the neckline of her little black mini dress. Smith told The Associated Press that his collection was inspired by the nostalgia of the “Dynasty” television series and James Bond films.
“I wanted to create a collection that really focused on tailoring menswear suits, sharp clean lines that still create a sense of edge, sophistication and sex appeal,” Smith said after the show.
One by one, models descended the staircase in his beautifully impressive designs — from the black sheer dress with a plunging neckline and black satin bottom that rose at the hips and dipped below the belly button to the dazzling dress draped with black fringe.
It was only fitting that as Smith displayed his menswear pieces that rapper and red carpet style star Lil Nas X was sitting in the front row. In a refreshing take on menswear, Smith’s latest pieces included a double-breasted men’s suit jacket that was cropped at the hips while another look featured a sheer black button down with a neck tie under a black suit jacket.
Smith departed from his use of bright colors last season to incorporate warmer rich tones, from the body-hugging, velvety eggplant-colored…
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