LaQuan Smith wins big name fans
There were notable highlights on the second and third days of New York’s Fall Winter 2013 fashion week (LaQuan Smith, Diane Von Furstenburg and Carolina Herrera) but Alexander Wang was not among them.
I was not moved by his collection, which seemed confused and dull. There was an exploration of silhouette, drape and fold that appeared tenuous at best.
Much has been made of Wang and his elevation to the throne at Balenciaga and maybe his latest own-name collection was a sketchbook for what is to come once the young pretender gets to Paris. If so it may be some time before Nicolas Ghesquiere or Cristóbal Balenciaga need worry about their reputations at the house being overshadowed.
At The Fashionable Truth you will rarely see words like “gorgeous” or “yummy” or “beautiful”. These once noble terms have been abused in the world of fashion blogs, becoming like piñatas that have been thrashed repeatedly by over-excited children until they have nothing left inside and hang in the wind, empty and meaningless.
Having said that, LaQuan Smith’s collection was gorgeous, yummy and beautiful. Unlike other designers who have sought to colonize the empowerment of women LaQuan Smith is the genuine article.
A true descendent of Carolina Herrera and Diane Von Furstenberg, who both had shows with clothes that made hearts beat faster, Smith captured the essence of urban sensuality, crafting catsuits and Catalan wool dresses that exist solely to make the wearer feel like fifty shades of sex.
Based in Queens, La Quan Smith, who likes to go clubbing in skinny jeans and six-inch Louboutin heels, began designing when his mother gave him a sewing machine when he was 13. By 17 he had been diagnosed with cancer, which he overcame and then began work in earnest, debuting at NYFW two years ago.
He is now worn by Rhianna and Lady Gaga but I sense an even better future awaits him.
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