With the exception of shows I personally attend during fashion week, I don’t write nearly as many collection reviews here on the site as I used to. Especially right now, with my podcast being where I mainly share my opinions on designers, both seasoned and on the rise (new episodes coming soon!), I don’t make as much time for it as I once did when I had less on my plate. HOWEVER, after viewing the looks served to us on a silver platter at yesterday’s Laquan Smith Fall/ Winter show, I HAD TO come out of semi-retirement and share my excitement.
I’m mostly hype because I remember not that long ago, being a huge follower of LaQuan’s work and searching the internet high and low for media coverage on him during NYFW, and not having much luck finding anything, of course with the exception of the GOAT when it comes to black fashion media, Fashion Bomb Daily keeping us current. None of the traditional mainstream outlets were featuring him. And as a young black creative who was becoming more and more aware of how “we’re often left out of conversations in fashion that we started in the first place”, as FBD founder Claire Sulmers so eloquently put it, I was anything but surprised. Nonetheless, as a fan of LQS with her own dreams in fashion, watching his work go unnoticed season after season when I honestly felt, back then, that he was one of the greatest to do it, it was still disheartening and extremely frustrating to watch.
But as they say, no one is messing with your movement until it’s moving… LaQuan Smith serves as a prime example of how staying true to your aesthetic pays off over time. Watching some of the world’s biggest artists like Queen Bey and Rih offer their support early on in his career to now noticing how he’s sooo many starlets' designer of choice is both inspiring and motivating for me. Furthermore, observing how these days, it’s hard to come across a fashion media outlet who doesn’t offer their two cents on his latest collection is even more ironic and interesting to me.
I initially fell in love with Laquan’s work back in 2012 because he designed for the type of women that I’ve always wanted to style; bold and unafraid of their sexuality yet always bringing a certain class, elegance and poise to whatever it is they choose to wear. In my eyes, LaQuan’s clothes embody the perfect balance between high fashion exclusivity and ready to wear relatability. He doesn’t let the fact that he’s a ready to wear designer cause him to rely too heavily on the concepts of modesty and practicality. He takes it there and no matter how far he takes it, he always knows what elements to incorporate in a garment to still have it evoke luxury. This season was no different. He juxtaposed voluminous shapes with body hugging sheer to illustrate that balance between the unapologetic provocation of today and the impeccable tailoring that we’ve witnessed from top designers for almost a century now.
This sense of balance doesn’t get any more clear than in the puff sleeve corset he showcased yesterday, paired with exaggerated joggers. It nods at yesterday and winks at today. Among my other favorite looks were the chocolate brown wool cropped coat and pencil skirt, layered over a sheer one piece, a patent leather oversized coat, a crisp white fur wrap coat that screamed old glamour, and a puffer two piece, just to name a few. Smith accomplished so much with such a minimal color palette this season… and after all that, I truly believe he’s just getting started. See some of my faves from the collection below.
