Before his Spring 2020 show yesterday, Laquan Smith was in a relaxed mood. He looked sure of himself and confident–well rested with a calm, cool demeanor. After over a decade in the business, he has hit his stride. He is no longer the industry ‘wunderkind,’ but a grown man with a thriving brand, whose slinky cocktail dresses and second skin bodysuits have graced the backsides of all the it girls (Rihanna, Kylie, Kendall, the list goes on). He was one of Forbes 30 under 30, and now fashion icon Tom Ford has taken him on as a mentor. He said, “ He is the best mentor I could have ever asked for. The fact that we’ve developed a relationship, the fact that he sees so much potential in my work, it really speaks volumes in terms of my growth and the trajectory of my career.”
Indeed it does. LaQuan Smith has been nothing but consistent, always giving party girls and the young sexy set something to wear for a night on the town.
He said, “This collection was inspired by a Western glamour aesthetic, I used a lot of pythons and foiled iridescent fabrics. The inspiration for this season is all about female empowerment and keeping things consistently sexy. That is Laquan Smith, it’s sensual, it’s sort of provocative, but it’s elegant. “
Sheer dresses with thongs showing were the first to parade down the runway, followed by barely there bandeau tops, mini cocktail dresses in snake prints, and see through jumpsuits adorned with light catching fringe. Hems and slit were high, and Smith introduced daring décolletage in the front and the back, with one party dresses scooping so low, you could see the top of the model’s derriere.
There weren’t many items geared towards a 30 something (ahem me), though I did spy a snake embossed silver jacket with a mini skirt and a few python trenches that could be work in the daytime hours. See the full runway below:
Smith offered, “It’s glamorous, it’s sexy, it’s smoky…and it’s very grown.”
That it was. As the popular saying goes, If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And here’s a new saying to add to the lexicon: “I will not, not be rich” a phrase Smith adorned on a few signature tees. With focus, and Tom Ford as a mentor, Smith won’t—can’t lose.
What do you think?