Julia Fox, After Kanye West Breakup, Opens LaQuan Smith’s NYFW Show

NEW YORK (AP) — Julia Fox, fresh from her breakup with artist formerly known as Kanye West, opened LaQuan Smith’s New York Fashion Week show in black as the designer honored her late beloved mentor, André Leon Talley, with a moment of silence Monday night at a century-old private club.

His guests scattered in the rooms of the Down Town Association, among the oldest private clubs in the city, Smith released a sexy refined but still signature collection full of sparkle in gold, blue and red, and tiny minis with cutouts cut in the right places. .

After the show, Fox said The Associated Press of his breakup with Ye: “I love Kanye. We are still very good friends and I wish him only the best.

The split from Fox after six weeks of dating came as Ye went wild on social media about his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and new beau Pete Davidson.

Sunday evening, on Valentine’s Day, he posted a truckload of red roses he had delivered to the Hidden Hills, California mansion where Kim lives with their four children. It’s a house they used to share.

To open Smith’s show, Fox wore a high-necked, long-sleeved black evening dress with cutouts at the stomach, chest and back that hugged her body at the 163-year-old club in the Financial District.

Like other clubs of the time, the Down Town Association – filled with marble and deeply stained wood – was once men’s only but began admitting women in 1985. Its walls remain adorned with painted portraits of white men .

Smith, one of the few black designers to establish itself at New York Fashion Week, remains a staple for young people and partygoers. He told the AP in a backstage interview that he chose the club because he was looking for a change of mood after taking over the Empire State Building’s observation deck last September for his parade. of fashion week.

“I’m excited about this space,” he said. “I wanted to do something that felt romantic in a way. This show and this season is really about New York’s revival, celebrating New York designers, celebrating American designers.

The women who buy his clothes, Smith said, are “all about being the center of attention.” They won’t be disappointed by her bold use of color and sequins, or her shimmering leotards worn with low-rise, thong-back pants. But this season, it wasn’t just about baring skin.

Smith pulled out some classics in camel coats and fur-trimmed day dresses befitting ladies lunching rather than partying until dawn.

A coat came in luscious moss green leather with a soft, comfortable lapel and lining. He put the Smith touch on the set by showing it on a little leo, his model in dark tones with a statement necklace as a finish.

His last collection remained mainly devoted to the va-va-voom on which Smith built his reputation.