New York Fashion Week 2023: LaQuan Smith’s A/W show channelled Hollywood glamour à la James Bond and Dynasty at the Rainbow Room, with Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley, Lil Nas X and Julia Fox in tow

Feb 16 , 2023

The LaQuan Smith autumn/winter 2023 collection is modelled during Fashion Week at the Rainbow Room on February 13, in New York. Photo: AP

Kicking off LaQuan Smith’s A/W show in New York on February 13, Norwegian model Frida Aasen strutted down a cascading staircase following the words of Dynasty’s Joan Collins, ‘I now own this house’

The designer, who works with Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, brought 80s nostalgia, sophistication and edge in his new collection, as Coco Rocha and Teyana Taylor cheered on from the crowd

Looking down on the New York Fashion Week crowd, Norwegian 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.”

Frida Aasen presents a creation from the LaQuan Smith autumn and winter 2023 collection at the Rainbow Room during Fashion Week in New York City, New York, US, on February 13. Photo: Reuters

While the display was intended to evoke the 80s Hollywood glamour inspiration behind Smith’s February 13 night show, it was also a subtle reminder to his attendees that this was a house that Smith has built from the ground up into a global luxury brand launching with Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

Model Frida Aasen wears a cut-out little black dress from the LaQuan Smith autumn and winter 2023 collection at the Rainbow Room during Fashion Week in New York City, New York, US, on February 13. Photo: Reuters

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.

A model struts the runway wearing a metallic silver two-piece ensemble from the LaQuan Smith autumn and winter 2023 collection at the Rainbow Room during Fashion Week in New York City, New York, US, on February 13. Photo: Reuters

“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,” the 34-year-old said after the show.

A horizontal-striped bodycon dress worn by a model from the LaQuan Smith autumn and winter 2023 collection at the Rainbow Room during Fashion Week in New York City, New York, US, on February 13. Photo: Reuters

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.

Inventive forms and silhouettes were presented during the LaQuan Smith autumn and winter 2023 collection at the Rainbow Room during Fashion Week in New York City, New York, US, on February 13. Photo: Reuters