LaQuan Smith (Q7606)
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LaQuan Smith is a fashion house from BOF.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | LaQuan Smith |
LaQuan Smith is a fashion house from BOF. |
Statements
2013
founder and designer
Many designers have a trench coat in their oeuvre. Whether it’s a standard khaki version we’ve seen a million times or a more inventive, stylized take, the piece is often designed with everyday practicality in mind: It’s a good piece to have when it’s chilly, rainy, or both—a sophisticated alternative to a yellow rubber raincoat. But LaQuan Smith had a more specific use in mind when adding a trench to his spring 2025 collection. “My theory of a transparent trench coat always goes to the woman who, [on] a rainy night, is going to her man’s house to have makeup sex—or something like that,” Smith said in his Long Island City office and atelier the day before his show. Adding to that inspiration is an equally provocative fabric: “This is a new technique that my Italian mills have been working on. It’s a transparent horse.”This all tracks for the Queens-born designer, as “the ultimate LaQuan Smith woman is all about glamour and sensuality and things that are quite provocative and modern,” he said. For years, this woman has mostly sought out Smith’s three top sellers: bodysuits, catsuits, and dresses—many of the sheer, cutout, skintight variety. But as he did last season, Smith built on that foundation here in an effort to dress that woman 24/7, not just when she’s en route to a party (or a late-night liaison with her lover).“What does a LaQuan Smith woman look like during the day?” the designer asked rhetorically. She’s wearing khaki, safari-inspired separates, like a jacket with front pockets and an open, lace-up back or low-slung, wide-leg trousers paired with a bodysuit. “I’ve been obsessed with this argyle cutout concept,” Smith said of fashioning this season’s bodysuits, which come in brown and white lace. During our walkthrough, when a model emerged in a strapless bleached-denim gown with averyhigh slit, Smith noted, “This is my girl in the Hamptons. She’s hosting for the weekend.” She probably owns the collection’s mini denim dress, too, padded at the hips to give what Smith describes as “a BBL effect.” (The latter is a very cute dress, but the fit needs to be slightly adjusted, as it was seen on the runway with a horizontal pucker.)
10 September 2024
“For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays served as the theme song for The Apprentice. By way, in part, of the reality show, the song became emblematic of not just Wall Street but a culture obsessed with finances. Money: Who has more of it, who has none of it, where to find it.LaQuan Smith hosted his fall 2024 show at Cipriani 25 tonight across the street from the famous “Bull of Wall Street” statue in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District. Caviar and cocktails awaited guests as they walked in. Busta Rhymes and Babyface sat in the front row; the performed at the closing of the show. “For the Love of Money” was the opening tune, it followed the unequivocal reverberating toll of the New York Stock Exchange bell. The day of trading was officially closed, but Smith’s night was just getting started.Smith said that he had been looking at the sartorial language of Wall Street in the 1980s. “Pinstripe really resonated with me with this concept of financial stability,” he said, explaining that he was trying to be more evocative than literal with this reference.Financial stability has been a trending topic backstage and in the front rows this season in New York, with designers cancelling shows or announcing business restructurings or shut downs. “It’s important for me to have healthy dialogues with buyers and my customer to understand how my woman is shopping,” said Smith. “My buys increased over 80% during the pandemic, and a few seasons later they decreased but not by any reason of mine as a designer; buyers are just sitting on a lot of stock right now.” He has a point, and he’s not alone.“The thing is that when you come to LaQuan Smith, you’re always looking for something after 6PM,” said the designer. “That gave me a way to broaden my collection with a lot of daywear separates.” He is smart to look to expand his collection into day, tapping into the other half of his existing customer’s wardrobe. His challenge will be, as he put it, “to understand who she aspires to be and merging that with the fantasy of what she needs.”The LaQuan Smith you know remains: va-va-voom figure-hugging dresses, vertiginously cut bodysuits, and micro mini hems. There were the usual cocktail options aplenty, but for day Smith worked in some worthwhile options, keeping in mind that “this woman is always sexy.
” There were pinstripe separates tailored to the millimeter, pony hair suits, leathery bodysuits, poplin shirting vertiginously scooped in the back, and some alluring and nicely draped charmeuse and chiffon dresses and separates. A couple of hip-swaddling pencil skirts nodded at Smith’s new stylist, Carine Roitfeld (“Carine is so iconic, and she’s the queen of pencil skirts!”).There was also some fur—real—made in partnership with Saga Furs. A sense of opulence with a sprinkle of a Tom Ford-esque slickness presided over the proceedings, bar a run of glossy jersey fabrications that didn’t look as expensive as the rest of the collection. Smith’s tailoring has certainly leveled up—he cut a wide shoulder and cinched the waists of jackets and duster coats with deftly placed darts on their backs. This was also the designer’s most effective menswear lineup to date.What is the Smith woman up to during the day? “Well, she’s got shit to do,” Smith said, “she’s in charge, she’s going to work, she’s going to take you to court,” the designer added with a laugh. Where she’s going is up to her, but what Smith wants to make sure of is that “she looks damn good” doing it. “What I want is for her to just zip up the dress and let the magic start,” he added. “Once she makes that journey to the mirror she is ready to go out. And if she doesn’t have a place to go, she will find one, because now she has the dress.”
12 February 2024
“I always try to remember that the LaQuan Smith woman is on her way to something fabulous,” said LaQuan Smith himself at a preview. That she is—ask Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently wore a shimmering gold sequin button-down by the designer to attend Beyoncé’sRenaissancetour date in Washington, D.C., or just ask Beyoncé, who performed in custom LaQuan Smith in Amsterdam this past summer.Tonight’s show was a glossy affair. But that’s business as usual chez Smith, who has become a New York Fashion Week fixture by way of his celebrity-packed front rows—Saweetie, Laverne Cox, Quinta Brunson, and Offset attended this show—and sleek, high-octane runways. As for the clothes, Smith said he was after a mood that was “sexy and refined.” He described his lineup as a collection of “bold proportions and structured pieces,” which was best illustrated by his angular leather tailoring, draped micro dresses, and power mesh fabrications. This is a designer who knows his way around the body, a skill he put to use time and time again this season.“Like Michelle Pfeiffer inScarface,” said Smith as a model walked through his studio in a white croc-embossed pencil skirt and cropped jacket suit cut as sharp as a freshly whetted blade. Smith carved his leather separates as he’d do any of his sinuous tailoring: close to the body and molded to fit and enhance curves (“she doesn’t need to be wearing a box just because it’s leather.”) This is the power dressing that his base is after, one that evokes a brand of effervescent sexiness that can’t help but rise to the surface. Smith’s customer is certainly the woman who would utter Elvira Hancock’s famous line: “Don’t call me ‘baby,’ I’mnotyour ‘baby.’”When it came to materials, it was all about “intergalactic glamour“ (including some fantastic custom jewelry by designer Austin James Smith). Metallic leathers in vibrant colors were cut into tiny skorts, shorts, and panties, and draped into surprisingly fluid dresses; crinkly and shiny fabrics became sporty separates and extra-wide cargos; endless amounts of beads were strung together to create two striking tops and a half-skirt. The leather styles were unexpectedly light, which explains why Smith decided to design a spring collection around the material. He was right to compliment this story with denim separates, “they feel like true American sportswear,” he said.
The menswear has potential but could have used a little finesse, the best look here was a pair of wide, creased jeans styled with a navy blazer and a crisp white button down. Smith can cut a good jacket, so this is a space he should continue to expand on should he start formally offering the category.“I’m working hard and I really hope that people can receive it and understand what’s in my head,” Smith said. “But either way, it’s not for everyone.” It’s not, and that should be the point. Smith is, unlike some of his contemporaries, acutely aware of who he’s making clothes for. “I just hope she falls in love with this and wants to be part of this fantasy,” he said. She probably will—Mary J. Blige sat front row and took a video of practically every look.
12 September 2023
There are few places in New York as opulent as the Rainbow Room. Upon arrival at LaQuan Smith’s fall 2023 runway show, guests were greeted with caviar and champagne. Kimora Lee Simmons and her daughter Ming, Lil Nas X, and Ashley Biden mixed and mingled like they would at a cocktail party. It is no secret that Smith knows how to put on a show (and pick a location: past venues have included the Empire State Building and and the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum), but tonight more than ever, it was all aboutglamour.Perhaps that’s why the show opened to the recognizable timbre of Joan Collins in one of her most iconic moments as Alexis Carrington Colby inDynasty:“You’ve heard him, Blake, you’re finished, you’ve lost everything, and I am now the owner of this house[...] I’m perfectly sane, so take this junk and your blonde tramp, and get out of my home.”Collins and her co-star Diahann Carroll were muses here.“This collection has a little bit more of an elevated sophistication,” Smith said at a preview at his Long Island City studio. “The LaQuan Smith woman is growing, and she’s incorporating these sexy elements she finds here in all aspects of her life,” he added. Smith is growing, too. His cut has become more precise and intentional, as has his choice of materials.The star of the show was the tailoring. Smith said he didn’t want to take the suiting so seriously, “as we’ve seen classics from all the greats.” This was evidenced by the cleverness of the tuxedo-meets-little black dress of the first exit and the playful sharpness of the cropped jackets. Smith is known for dresses, but here he cut a solid range of trousers: some low-rise, others with hand-folded silk waistbands, but all razor-sharp and with the right fit—not too wide, not too slim, and just long enough to wear with a good pair of stilettos.As expected here, there were moments of sheerness, including mesh tops with scooped satin necklines and another with applied strips. More compelling were draped dresses and blouses in sheer tulle with multi-sized velour polka dots and the delicate blouse of look 22. That exit is an example of how much growing Smith and his woman have done over the last few seasons, with its balance of sensuality and sophistication.
14 February 2023
As my seatmates and I awaited for LaQuan Smith’s spring 2023 show to start, we scrolled through images of the Emmy’s red carpet. Then it began and Elsa Hosk walked out in the opening look, a purple ankle-length sequin turtleneck halter column dress—yes, that’s a lot of adjectives, I know! It was a look made for an award ceremony–or at least a really great party. Another contender was a simple column in a warm pink.Smith put on his spring show inside the Intrepid Sea, Space, & Air Museum on the Hudson River. The USS Intrepid was built during WWII, though the boat’s history had little to do with why Smith selected it as this show’s location. Instead, he wanted a worthy stage to follow up his recent endeavors. “I feel like I’ve just been so pressured over the last two seasons to really have a showstopper intense show,” he said backstage, referring to his spring 2022 show at the Empire State Building. “But I just really wanted to do something that brings a level of experience to the brand. When people come to a LaQuan Smith show or party, they’re leaving with an enticing, vibrant experience, so I wanted to give that exact thing.” Had it not been for a rainy weather forecast, the show would have been staged on top of the ship rather than inside of it, with the city skyline as a backdrop. This might have made more sense as a stage than the hallways full of historical navy artifacts, though with Smith’s uber-glam, party-ready frocks it was easy to imagine the setting as an edgy gala.For spring Smith has loosened up his silhouette. “My woman is in a space where she needs air right now, it’s all about movement and fluidity,” he said in reference to the sultry and flowy sheer chiffon dresses and blouses that grounded the collection. “It’s about the female form, about sensuality and femininity, that is what we’re here to celebrate today,” he continued.Smith is also making efforts to expand his daywear offering in a way that makes sense for his brand. His customers go to him for bodysuits, catsuits, and dresses, he said, but he’d like to build other categories. “She comes to me for evening, but I still want to give her some options for day.” In the LaQuan Smith universe daywear means separates in silk taffeta. Most compelling were a pair of iridescent cargos and a miniskirt with draped excess in lieu of a waistband. Slightly out of place were a pair of gray wool tailored trousers.For texture, Smith looked at sequins, shearling, and vinyl.
The latter, in a canary yellow, added a necessary visual jolt, though it could have been more seamlessly incorporated into the collection. A run of metal body plates (nipple piercings included) added visual interest and a sense of novelty that Smith should explore further; ditto the lucite jewelry that accompanied some looks. You sometimes hear that folks find it hard to picture who wears these clothes in real life. They’re high-octane, sexy, and niche; but based on his show guests and his client list (which includes Beyoncé), this woman exists, and she can’t get enough of LaQuan Smith.
13 September 2022
Before debuting his fiery fall collection on the runway this evening, New York designer LaQuan Smith took a moment of silence to acknowledge the late and great André Leon Talley—the longtimeVogueeditor who changed the industry as we know it, due to his discerning eye and unparalleled enthusiasm. The crowd, previously riotous with laughs and photo ops, went silent. During the chaotic, fast-paced week, it was a classy touch on Smith’s part that reminded one to take a moment and to reflect. It also allowed spectators to quite literally take a breath, before having it taken away by the ultra-sexy clothes that followed. (The opening number, for instance—modeled by Julia Fox, It girl of the moment—was a black turtleneck dress with bold chest cutouts; the crowd went wild for it.)Smith chose a special venue to present his vampy collection of brazen going-out attire this season: a grand space downtown that used to be the Down Town Association, a private member’s club founded in 1859. “My woman is a bit provocative, and there’s something quite provocative about this space,” Smith said pre-show. “Lord knows what was happening here back then.” He began with a traditional cocktail hour downstairs, then come showtime the VIP guests—includingAnd Just Like That’s Nicole Ari Parker—moved upstairs. Though they briefly bottlenecked on their way up, smushed together like a pack of expensively-dressed sardines, nobody seemed to mind, since it meant being able to see one of New York’s most exciting names.When the show began, it was very much worth being corralled like cattle for. After two years of the pandemic, and the overuse of terms like “comfort dressing” or “loungewear,” Smith wanted to dial up the sex factor for fall and vouch for the return of naughty glamour. This resulted in loads of sequins, fabulous mink coats, and extremely-mini skirts thatjustskimmed the buttocks—like a modern-day take on wild Studio 54 style. “This collection was really about the revival of New York City and celebrating life again,” said Smith. “I wanted to create a collection that gave women a sense of hope and celebration.”His color palette of neutrals, paired with electrifying golds, reds, and blues, certainly woke you up with a jolt. Smith does sexy well. Sequin- or mink-covered body suits were paired with low-slung trousers that exposed hip bones. The dresses were cut short with deep-V necklines, while his version of leather pants came all zippered up like a moto jacket.
Outerwear was a new category push for him, Smith said: “It’s all about these super-strong, big, New York shearlings, with these little itty-bitty sexy silhouettes underneath. It’s cold outside, butshe’s going somewhere.”
14 February 2022
Location. Location. Location. During fashion month, the real estate a designer utilizes is almost as important as the clothes. Choosing a remarkable venue makes a statement, and LaQuan Smith unveiled his spring collection at New York’s iconic Empire State Building. As Art Deco masterpieces go, it doesn’t get much better, but transforming a vintage skyscraper into a modern event space comes with a few annoyances. Logistically, traveling 102 floors and fitting scores of guests into an observatory space typically occupied by tour groups was a headache. Still, what happens in IRL is increasingly irrelevant. Smith’s show was designed and executed for the internet. Everything from the oh-so Instagrammable appearance of French poodles on the runway to the camera drones that glided overhead catered to the online audience who have supported Smith from the start.Kids at home tuned in to gawk and shop, a task made easier by the show’s see-now-buy-now format and the innate vitality of the looks. Unapologetic sexiness is Smith’s bread and butter, and anyone confident enough to wear his mesh bodysuits and glossy trousers is looking to stand out. Smith’s corsets and cut-out dresses have become ubiquitous in celebrity circles, and this season he introduced another big motif, terrycloth. The fabric featured in multiple looks, some literal—a cropped white robe complete with belt and embroidered monogram—and others far removed from the source material. The twisted and draped dress on Jazzelle Zanaughtti relied on a similar texture, but its belly-baring silhouette didn’t make you think about the spa.There was a lot of skin on display, but calling Smith’s clothes revealing is a misnomer. His pieces don’t show the body, they frame it, highlighting specific areas to create idealized forms. In the past he accomplished that through corsetry or the squeeze of latex. This go-round, Smith kept things loose and light utilizing draping, jersey fabrics, and lace to highlight his muses’ assets. Old hits—the boiled wool halter dress Hailey Bieber wore for her tête-à-tête with Emmanuel Macron and the shiny motorcycle trousers beloved by Kylie Jenner—were refreshed in softer versions. The halter received plenty of ruching and was worn with a feathery jacket by Elsa Hosk, while the pants came in fresh colorways like high gloss white and bottle cap blue.Still, the most significant change may be Smith’s new partner, Puma, with whom he inked a deal earlier this year.
The influence of the athletic wear giant came through in logo-ed sweatshirts and tees that were paired with fishnet stockings for a rebellious touch. Their vibe differed from the high-key sexiness of the other pieces, but they represented Smith’s push into other arenas. Not everyone can pull off a transparent Capri pant or skirts with slits so high they merge into the waistband. By contrast, t-shirts are fashion at its most democratic. Smith’s ambitions for his brand have always been big, so a future where everyone owns a shirt with his name on it doesn’t seem far-fetched.
10 September 2021
What makes a fashion house a home? Creative directors come and go, and businesses reimagine themselves. The factor that separates an enduring luxury entity from a blip on the scene is the establishment of house codes. Brands that recognize this create a visual language that transcends seasons and worms its way into consumers’ minds. With a memorable archive and enough carefully curated history, you don’t have to see their latest runway show to know the perspective that informs it or which consistently updated items will receive their season refresh.Familiarity on that level doesn’t happen overnight; the houses that benefit from this are considered heritage brands for a reason. Still, when he began thinking about his fall collection, LaQuan Smith wanted to take the long view. Instead of reinventing the wheel, Smith sought to hone in on the pieces that best represent his point of view. “I wanted to design a collection that was embracing what I do and who I am,” shared Smith over Zoom. “It’s a looking-good, feeling-good collection with the understanding and the ownership of the fact that we are a Black-owned luxury brand. So I wanted things to be as unapologetic and unique as possible, diving deeper into my truth as a designer.”Smith’s truth is one of audacious sensuality and assertive female power. The woman he designs for is comfortable in her own skin, even when she’s wearing little else. Overt sexiness might be at odds with the Zoom-age’s cozy and covered-up vibe, but Smith is unfazed. His transparent catsuit—a favorite of Jennifer Lopez—saw an uptick in sales during quarantine, so clearly the need for outré looks remains strong. The piece received an update that put even more skin on display with mesh and swirls of crushed velvet running from head to toe. PVC pants that have been spotted on Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were overhauled too, their skintight silhouette accentuated by keyholes that revealed a flash of posterior.It wasn’t all celebrity-approved remixes. As he elevated his standards, Smith experimented with new textiles and silhouettes. Autumnal separates were done in boiled wool, while hand-beading mimicked the look of glass shards on pencil skirts and bodysuits with built-in bustiers. Furs detailed with embroidery upped the luxury factor, especially when used for plush crop tops and other unexpected pieces. Even conservative beige wool was given sex appeal via cut-outs and crisscrossing halter tops.
Independent designers aren’t always afforded the time necessary to develop their brand’s identity—the industry is always on the lookout for thenextnext big thing—but Smith has asserted his effectively and with flair. So the next time you scroll through your Instagram feed and see your most extroverted friend wearing a mesh catsuit beneath a chubby chinchilla, know that Smith had something to do with it.
10 March 2021
LaQuan Smith has always been able to create a come-hither outfit, but this season saw him move into brazen new territory. If fashion had an MPAA-style rating system, the line between R and NC-17 would be hard to gauge, and Smith pushes it continuously. Sexiness is always in demand, but whether a look registers as erotic or explicit depends on designer and wearer reaching a state of simpatico. Smith’s clients—Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan—aren’t known for holding back and neither is he. If you thought fall’s transparent evening dresses and vampy furs were as sultry as things could go, you might want to sit down before viewing Smith’s vision for spring.The car culture of the ’70s served as the collection’s starting place, particularly the American obsession with pastel Cadillacs that signified wealth via their outré customizations. “I was obsessed with the concept and started finding these vintage Cadillacs in baby blue and ice mint,” shared Smith on the phone from Los Angeles. “I drew from the testimonies of my grandfather, who told us that back in the day in Brooklyn, he had a baby blue Caddy and dyed his poodle to match!” Such swagger was standard during the disco era when a fresh ride mattered as much as the clothes you wore. Inspired by ideas of “new money” and its attachments—Champagne, leather seats, extravagance as a lifestyle choice—Smith kept things flashing and automobile-focused. High-gloss catsuits and bustier gowns had the sheen of a fresh paint job, while prints with stacks of hundred dollar bills or Coupe DeVille covered bodysuits and slip dresses.There were standouts among this first section—a bejeweled minidress destined to appear on a pop diva, metallized capri pants, and all manner of bustier tops—but things heated up toward the end. A series of looks focused on strategic cutouts was especially bold. Whether you love the idea of double-sided tape and jaw-dropping cleavage or find it unappealing, it is impossible to ignore the attention such dresses command. A turquoise jersey number on model Alanna Arrington fit like a glove in a look book image that could double as an ad for a gym membership. Much like Smith’s reference point—the risqué Richard Tyler number Toni Braxton wore back in 2001 to collect multiple Grammys—the creations require extreme confidence. “One of the fun things about what I do is that it is pushing those boundaries about what it means to be sexy,” says Smith.
“There is a fine line, but when I’m designing these gowns, I’m thinking about a classic era in the most sensual way. You put that dress on, and it’s going to make you feel beautiful and sexy.”
22 September 2020
LaQuan Smith’s modus operandi is making clothes in which women feel good—clothes they feel themselves in. Of course, the Smith woman isn’t exactly reaching for sweatpants. Half of the audience at his fall 2020 show was clad in body-conscious dresses and the other half in exaggerated, almost superhuman silhouettes. It made sense, then, that Smith’s first look out—a buxom wool minidress with puffed-up knee boots—emerged from the front row to riotous applause.That level of excitement continued throughout the show, with nearly every model welcomed to the runway with a cacophony of cheers. That Smith could make a mostly black and white collection merit such a response is a testament to his showmanship—and to his models. Sure, there were the new supers—Elsa Hosk and Hilary Rhoda wore the last two looks—but as each and every woman hit the catwalk, she brought her own sense of bravado to the scene. You sort of need that confidence to make Smith’s highly revealing clothes work, especially this season, where briefs hit high enough to reach hip bones and backs were slashed low to show the top of the pelvis. Two sheer catsuits, possibly the most revealing unitards to ever grace a runway, elicited hoots from the audience. These aren’t clothes for everyone, but if you have the chops to pull it off, you’ll be pleased. Smith’s collaboration with Jordache (of bombshell jeans and tops) will help convince a new demographic of women to try his clothes out too.
9 February 2020