Since its inception in 2013, and increasingly so lately, designer LaQuan Smith’s eponymous fashion label continues to win over Hollywood’s most satirically inclined. Not often in that old glamour kind of way — Everything the Queens, New York-born designer touches comes with an energetic freshness, an alluring attitude. It is, in so many words, the official hot girl’s brand.
For Spring / Summer 23′, guests gathered inside the Intrepid Sea, Space, & Air Museum for the Smith’s show, the unexpected location perhaps an early indicator that grand backdrops may be on their way to becoming an official LaQuan Smith signature (read: the brand became the first to show at the Empire State Building with its Spring 2022 collection).
The evolution of the LaQuan Smith woman is always an interesting one to watch. She becomes more sophisticated, sexy, and confident with every collection. Equally interesting is the ways in which Smith plays on elements from a past collection in his new ones (as his Spring 2023 collection relates to his last, biker attributes, exposed hips, and fold-over mini skirts have each made a return with updates), while never neglecting to introduce something strikingly new for the brand. This time, it’s an exploration of LaQuan Smith as daytime wear by way of iridescent cargo pants, trousers primed for the office, and chiffon tops that can easily be taken into everyday settings with the addition of a silk cami underneath.
With color being another noteworthy addition to this season’s show (in the recent past, much of LaQuan Smith’s collections are dominated by nudes), there’s no doubt the LaQuan Smith girl is still evolving, but she seems to have a commanding aura that remains put no matter the case.
See every look from the collection ahead.
