Quick recap if you don’t know him: taught by his grandmother, founded the brand in 2013, debuted his label at 21. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Gaga, Kim K and plenty of other A-B-C-listers have appeared in LaQuan Smith‘s client list. AND his skin is WELL WELL moisturized. Always.
Bambi, Snake & A Little Technical Drama
The walks were on point, worthy of the garments, and the music was making it hard to stay seated, thanks to DJ Sliink.
Biking shorts seem cool. Comfy, huge pockets, exactly where they’re needed — basically what the ladies deserve. High, structured shoulders gave them a little more attitude, while the tailoring throughout the collection stayed sharp and very structured.
But the more interesting pieces were the ones that started mixing all these references together.
Underwear OUT. Bambi print ON. Buzzcut PAINTED.
Bambi took over the runway, just as animal prints are having another moment. We’ve already had plenty of cheetah, so Smith bringing in Bambi feels like a slightly softer alternative — although the way he uses it is anything but innocent. One of the strongest looks pairs the brown-and-white print with a light purple lingerie-inspired top, letting the colours do the talking without turning the look into a rainbow.
Then snake print enters the conversation.
A sheer, lace-trimmed slip dress gets layered under an oversized snake-print coat, finished with a bright orange collar. The contrast between the dark green dress, white lace, brown snake print and orange makes the look feel busy on paper, but surprisingly controlled on the runway.
And then there are the skirts.
A huge, puffy skirt comes with the kind of volume that makes you want to spin around in it, while another takes a completely different route: a dramatic mermaid shape made from technical nylon, almost like the fabric of a lightweight windbreaker. Turning something that looks so sporty and practical into a floor-skimming mermaid skirt is probably one of my favourite ideas from the collection.
The denim deserves a mention too. Smith keeps it in a really good grey-blue wash, making it feel much less casual than your usual jeans-and-a-top situation. It sits nicely alongside the structured tailoring and gives the collection somewhere to breathe between all the animal prints, sheer pieces and eveningwear.
The colour story is actually quite controlled considering how much is happening. Olive comes with orange. Bambi comes with pale purple. Brown works with lilac. The colours don’t fight each other, and the prints get to stay the focus.
The LaQuan Smith woman is still sexy — that’s not going anywhere. But this season she feels a little less predictable. She’s wearing underwear with animal prints, putting a mermaid skirt in technical fabric, throwing a structured blazer over a tiny top and walking around in heels like none of this is remotely unusual.
Smith has also been pushing his idea of the customer beyond the traditional night-out wardrobe, looking at a woman who needs clothes for the full 24 hours of her life. And you can see that here: the collection has the heels and barely-there pieces you’d expect from LaQuan Smith, but also denim, sporty nylon, shorts, outerwear and more wearable tailoring.
All we need, actually.
A Little LaQuan Smith Goes to Orïsha
A movie with visuals this good AND Beyoncé ENERGY in the trailer deserves a powerful designer like LaQuan Smith.
Coming to theatres in January ’27, Children of Blood and Bone is getting a little LaQuan Smith treatment too, with four exclusive looks inspired by the film and available exclusively through Moda Operandi.
And it’s a pretty fun crossover for Smith, whose clothes already live somewhere between fashion, celebrity and full-blown spectacle. A few of the collaborative pieces were also shown on the SS27 runway, including a sparkling gown.
The beauty was just as loud. Orlando Pita worked with Mielle on the hair, while the painted buzzcut gave the otherwise ultra-glamorous looks a slightly tougher edge. Patti Wilson styled the collection, balancing exposed skin, exaggerated shoulders and all those animal references.
Bambi, underwear, huge shoulders and painted hair. LaQuan Smith really said take your pick.
