NYFW: Demi Moore Hits Carolina Herrera and Julia Fox Wows at LaQuan Smith, Where Babyface Took the Stage

Monday is always the most packed day of New York Fashion Week, and for anyone who’s been around long enough to remember the convenience of the Bryant Park tents or the similar setups at Lincoln Center or downtown on Washington Street, the industry abandoning that idea has caused some consternation among several editors who now must trek between South Street buildings with spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty to the west side of Midtown and then to the Upper East Side and back again. It is undeniably time-consuming, resulting in shows that must be skipped.

The second the lights go down and a show begins, of course, all is forgiven (for the moment). This Monday of #NYFW unspooled a variety of thoroughly beautiful collections for Fall Winter 2024, from designers who not only embrace the tenets of American fashion with a passionate dedication, they also weave outstanding statements in red-carpet fashion. Carolina Herrera creative director Wes Gordon was the first to kick off this theme, while also nabbing one of the hottest guests of the week: Demi Moore, currently in FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, a show everyone is talking about between runways. Moore may play a doomed Swan on the show, but she’s the modern-day Swan everyone is eager to see this week.

The actress also perfectly represents the person Gordon was thinking of for his latest collection. “This collection represents the American woman: a strong, powerful, confident, resilient woman,” he told The Hollywood Reporter on the runway following the show. That idea revealed itself in designs that felt equal parts crisp and elegant, in colors both bright and dramatic, and in a handcraft that put the full artistry of the Herrera workrooms on display. Among the best examples: midi dresses in fabrics that range from a dark navy stretch denim to a black velvet, gray merino wool for a sleek long-sleeved turtleneck dress, and or an embroidered cape with a matching sheath in ivory double-face wool.

Gordon’s evening looks, meanwhile, immediately inspired the editors and stylists in the audience to think about upcoming red carpets. A strapless ballgown in a silk-faille hue dubbed “Herrera red” was a standout with its clean lines and beautiful volume, while a tiered ruffle gown in slipper pink tulle also was accompanied by a matching cape (that latter item is sure to make everyone’s fall wish list). Fold in several pieces in a brilliant yellow, and that dedication to bright colors no matter the season ranks high among Gordon’s desire to break traditional fashion rules. “If a color makes you smile and makes you feel confident and makes the room brighter and the world a little happier, why not wear it every day?” he pointed out.

But it was a grouping of shaped dresses and gowns that proved to be the most captivating in both craft and detail — some in a sheer black embroidery and another in a glistening metallic floral jacquard. “I look at thousands of fabric swatches every season in the development of a collection, and that one really leaped out at me,” Gordon said of the latter. “It made me think of the artwork and the craft, but also the soft melange gray ground instantly made it feel very different.” Two additional, chicly simple pieces, a pencil skirt and a column gown with a tank neckline were crafted in that same jacquard, “because I wanted them to be vessels to showcase the artistry of that textile,” Gordon added.

For those shaped dresses with “cone skirts,” as he dubbed them, don’t look for any tulle underpinnings. “Those pieces are very clean and architectural, with not an inch of extra fabric to grab out of them,” he explained. “What makes that design special is that there’s nothing inside; it’s just fully holding itself up, not through 75 layers of tulle. It’s again a testament to the Herrera atelier; a lot of people can sketch that, but the ability for that sketch to be realized into what you saw today, there are very few talented pattern makers and seamstresses and cutters and sewers who can do that.”

Hours later, Pamella Roland name-checked a great example of Hollywood costume design while pointing out a full-length silk coat fully embellished with a sequined lining over a matching sequined gown. “That was inspired by Doris Day,” Roland noted — and indeed, Day in 1959’s Pillow Talk is seen wearing a variety of terrific dress and coat combinations, all by an uncredited Bill Thomas. That thoughtful detail is what makes Roland sought after by a variety of Hollywood A-listers that lately have included Angela Bassett, Issa Rae, Laura Benanti and Patricia Clarkson. “I feel like we’ve dressed everyone from our very first day,” Roland told THR. “My customer is very diverse — in sizing, age, everything. We design for her first because we always remember who keeps our doors open.”

Roland said she was inspired by a trip to Belgium for this collection, with the first look out highlighting a cape hand-embroidered with the Bruges skyline, hitting a few inches above the knee. From there, the show, where Abbott Elementary‘s Janelle James sat front row, was all about the glamour, from a silver sequined suit with cigarette pants to a ballgown with plunging neckline in ice blue silk and a red silk mikado gown with side cutouts and a red silk floral shrug — and plenty in between for good measure. “Sometimes we think a design is the one everyone will love for red carpet, but you never know,” Roland said. “That red silk mikado with the shrug, now that’s a red-carpet dress, but sometimes it will be the quirky little dress that everyone wants to wear. It can be kind of baffling, but I’m happy as long as a woman feels beautiful and happy herself.”

Tory Burch seems to be enjoying herself immensely at the moment, having stepped away from the company’s CEO role — handed over in 2019 to her husband, Pierre-Yves Roussel, so she could focus on design. It’s likely no coincidence, then, that Burch’s collections feel lighthearted and spirited, while Hollywood leading ladies likewise are enjoying the aesthetic. Uma Thurman, Awkwafina and Natasha Lyonne were among the stars who attended Burch’s Monday showing at the New York Public Library in Midtown, there to witness what the designer called her exploration of “volume and silhouette in new ways: with sharp edges, unusual textures, and technical sport details,” she said in her show notes.

“Architectural shapes are engineered from the inside out, an approach used in handbag construction. Seams are raw-cut, heat-sealed and bonded to add dimension without weight. Squared-off skirts and precise blazers contrast with hyper-feminine dresses, [with fabrics that alternate] between refined and undone: glossy faux croc and calf hair next to paper leather, frayed wool and unraveling ruffles.” Also new for Burch was a grouping that explored the current demand for sheer dressing, elegant pieces that would be an apt addition to upcoming carpets.

For high drama on the Monday night of New York Fashion Week, LaQuan Smith brought his trademark confidence in his brand and his aesthetic to a show presented downtown, steps away from Wall Street at Cipriani 25. Built in 1921, the space was originally Cunard’s ticketing hall, filled with domed ceilings and intricate carvings. Amid this vibe, Smith sent out a treasure trove of the sexiest bankers and stockbrokers one might ever encounter: “I was thinking of office sirens and Wall Street vixens,” he told THR after the show. That translated to pinstriped looks that were fully covered up top, complete with crisp white shirt and tie, but revealed a thong bottom as the model sauntered past, as well as great leather trench and tuxedo dressing, while high-necked silk bias-cut gowns revealed fully open backs. “I loved this thought of totally buttoned up, but party in the back, just clothes you feel absolutely great in,” Smith said.

Smith also noted that the collection featured plenty of ease in dresses and blouses crafted in silk charmeuse and chiffon. “There’s a fluidity and a sense of luxury and femininity with this collection,” he explained. “I wanted to convey this sense of ‘throw and go.’ Easy pieces that you could throw on by themselves or perhaps over a chandelier bralette. My woman is busy, she has places to go, so I wanted to create something that just made her feel great, while it also felt uncomplicated.”

Misty Copeland was on the front row, noting that she loved Smith’s aesthetic, which she called “forward-thinking, sexy and innovative, and also really fun. I’m also so happy to support a Black designer.” Julia Fox is also a LaQuan favorite, on the front row sitting next to footwear icon Giuseppe Zanotti. “LaQuan makes women feel sexy and confident, and when a woman feels sexy and confident, that’s a superpower,” said Fox, who’s about to appear alongside star stylist Law Roach in OMG Fashun, a competition series premiering on E! on May 6. Might Smith also be seen on the show? “I wish!” Fox added. “That’s season two, we’re putting that thought into the universe. Season one is always tricky, pulling favors and asking friends, but by season two, we’ll be flying everyone in to take part, because it’s like no fashion competition series you’ve ever seen. Fashion really takes itself seriously, and this show isn’t that; it’s very campy and theatrical. We’re doing amazing things with emerging talent, upcycling and sustainability, it’s all that and much more.”

Zanotti, meanwhile, was on the front row to check out the custom shoes and boots he created for the collection, pieces that ranged from razor-sharp pumps in black patent leather with stiletto heels to thigh-high boots in snakeskin and alligator. “[LaQuan’s design code] and my code work very well together,” Zanotti noted to THR. “We have a perfect chemistry together, but what I also love about him, and that we share, is a respect for humanity. You can do wonderful things when you love fashion and you love people.”

Smith agreed. “Mr. Giuseppe is one of the people I’ve always admired, and I couldn’t believe it when he said, ‘Come to Bologna, and I’ll show you around my factory,’” he recalled. “He really embraced me, and in many ways, we design for the same woman, so it only felt right to do this collaboration. I hope it continues.”

Copeland, Fox and Zanotti also were joined by Busta Rhymes and Babyface in the audience — and as the carousel of models returned for the finale, Babyface stood up from his seat and crossed to the center of the room to sit at an ebony piano and sing some of his biggest hits.

“That was just the icing on the cake,” Smith said of the moment. “This collection is my vision of a woman coming into her evening, stepping into an upscale cognac whiskey/cigar lounge bar, something with a speakeasy vibe. And with Babyface at a jet black piano, it created a sensibility of all things luxury, fantasy and LaQuan Smith in the heart of New York, in the heart of Wall Street.”