LaQuan Smith Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear: The Female Power Broker
LaQuan Smith has proven in previous seasons he knows how to create sexy styles fit for a night out. For fall 2024, Smith continued this ethos by bringing it to daywear for a lineup that showed a more mature and refined woman — but one who still likes a good party.
“With any design process and any creative, there’s always an evolution to the body of work,” Smith said during a preview of the collection, which was styled by Carine Roitfeld. “I definitely feel like I’m growing as a designer. I’m growing as a human being, and so I think even the way that my customer is growing, where I’m selling — the wholesale business is growing and everything is expanding and reaching different walks of life and different demographics. That’s allowed me to spread my wings to tap into different personas.”
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Smith took inspiration from female executives on Wall Street in the ‘80s and Studio 54 for a collection that gave a sexy spin on corporate wear. Suiting was a main component of the collection, with standout styles like a navy pinstripe plunging neck dress or a blazer and miniskirt set paired with an undone dress shirt. The pieces evoked Smith’s quintessential sexy vibe, while showing how he’s able to evolve the aesthetic for a more mature customer.
“I’m designing for a very particular woman who wants to be the center of attention — who is in command, who is the boss of her own life and sort of has this female empowerment aura around her,” Smith said. “Everything is still quite sexy — it’s just very much she’s leveled up.”
Smith’s use of fabrics furthered this “leveled up” feel. Models walked the runway in a series of liquid-like outfits that were as eye-catching as they were effortless, giving the models an undoubtable confidence. Styles included buttery leather suits, a bordeaux and black colorblocked set and a form-fitting black dress with an open back that were both sexy and sophisticated.
“I wanted it to be a situation where there’s a fantasy world, like she’s working on Wall Street and in the end, she goes to this really swanky underground whiskey bar drinking her Louis XIII cognac,” he said about his emphasis on daywear.
Smith’s fall 2024 collection offered a refreshing and refined version of the designer’s signature sensual woman, and showed the designer’s craft in translating and evolving the aesthetic for a more mature and sophisticated client.
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Launch Gallery: LaQuan Smith Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear Photos
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