NEW YORK — Please stay tuned, stay calm: Beyoncé shocked everyone with her surprise front row appearance at the Loire Fashion Show on Tuesday night.
Just days after breaking the Internet (again) with the announcement of her album “Act II” and the release of two new singles, Beyoncé appeared at New York Fashion Week to mass hysteria and camera flashes from a stunned audience.
Decked out in a silver ensemble – complete with a jeweled blazer dress, a silver headpiece dripping with gems, thigh-high boots and a sparkling silver cowboy hat (for her new singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold 'Em”) plus matching Loire iridescent bag – And alongside mother Tina Knowles and celebrity bodyguard Julius de Boer, the entire room changed when Queen Bey arrived at her seat moments before the show began in a Brooklyn warehouse. Sister Solange Knowles sat on a few chairs, dressed in all black, next to designer Christopher John Rodgers.
Beyoncé, her sister and her mother were not there for the night's starry time, instead her aunt, mother and proud grandmother were supporting Solange Knowles' son, Daniel “Juliez” Smith Jr., in his New York Fashion Week debut.
For his runway entry, Smith, 19, styled an oversized double-breasted leather coat with exaggerated shoulders and matching leather pants, along with elbow-length furry gloves and a large Loire backpack. Solange Knowles clapped and smiled at her son during the show's finale.
Smith mingled at the after party, meeting up with friends and sitting around someone's phone laughing.
Murmurs of an exclusive fifth-floor area of the afterparty spread through the crowd, with partygoers wondering if Beyoncé was still in the building. She was already far from the main crowd, when she exited the party to the screams of photographers outside, just waiting to catch a glimpse of her as she and her sparkling cowboy hat disappeared into the back seat of a black SUV. (One photographer joked that he could stop photographing now that he had the shot of his life.)
Designer Raul Lopez's presentation tapped into the concept of the sex talk, weaving together centuries of inspiration to deliver what he calls “the return of the sex talk.”
The collection featured wide-shouldered leather shirts in Regency-era ostrich-like shapes, styled on the runway with watches attached and wrapped around the chest like a straight jacket. Instead, large leather belts without buckles slung across the hips and secured with a jeweled cuff; Sheer tops, one featuring a deep V-neck and cinched at the waist with Luar's cursive “L”; Luar's signature bags come in all sizes, and now also in backpack form.
On Monday, Lopez walked USA TODAY through his mood board, which features photos of men wearing wigs, runway moments that mix femininity and masculinity, as well as 2000s celebrity unofficial spokesperson David Beckham.
Sharing some pieces ahead of the show, the CFDA Award-winning designer spoke about the fashion cycle and why he named the collection “Deceptionista,” in keeping with the truths we tell ourselves and how the soft side of masculinity is making a comeback. To style in a new, more accepting way for LGBTQ+ culture.
“For Lopez, talking about sexuality wasn’t just a label or a facade, it was a trapdoor to acceptance, a way for him to hide his sexuality while growing up,” according to the show notes. Within the Decepticonista framework he was able to “deceive, shade, and ultimately transcend.”
Aside from Beyoncé who stopped New York Fashion Week in its tracks on Tuesday, several other celebrities also made front row appearances.
Designer Christian Siriano signaled the official start of New York Fashion Week with his luxurious return to the runway on Thursday, pairing a bustling front row with a desert-inspired collection that blended warm, sparkling, luxurious fabrics with elegant silhouettes.
Ashlee Simpson, “Succession” star J. Smith-Cameron, Melanie Lynskey, Busy Philipps, Sophia Bush and Siriano show off a red-clad Alicia Silverstone in the front row.
Then on Monday, fashion fans got an unofficial “America's Next Top Model” encounter at Pamela Rolland's show on Monday during New York Fashion Week, with photographer Eva Marcille, the third edition winner. Nigel Parker And creative director Jay Manuel Join together for a moment in the front row.
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