On Monday, September 14 at 9 p.m., LaQuan Smith presented his Spring 2027 collection during New York Fashion Week. As one of the final shows of the night, the late start almost felt like a party invitation—fitting for a designer known for dressing women for a night out. But this season, Smith looked beyond the party, drawing inspiration from a “24-hour perspective” of his customer and exploring her dichotomies through the juxtaposition of hard and soft, daring and delicate.
What immediately caught my eye were the padded shoulders, sharp popped collars, and exaggerated cuffs. Smith played with proportion by pairing heavier tops with more fitted bottoms, allowing even the more exaggerated silhouettes to feel visually balanced. That same balance carried into his styling, where harder or more daring elements were often paired with something softer and more delicate.
The collection contained looks that leaned fully into femininity, like Look 33, which paired a lace top with a pencil skirt finished with a lace border. Another look combined a sheer lace top with a cheetah-print skirt featuring a thigh-high split and lace trim. Even as the collection moved between masculine and feminine, recurring details like ruffles, lace, animal prints, strong shoulders, and fitted shapes created a sense of cohesion.
Looks 6 and 10 caught my eye with their billowy-sleeved bomber jackets paired with an asymmetrical ruffle skirt and a flared skirt. The combination felt edgy and sporty while still feminine, reminding me of the styling seen throughout the 2000s and into the early 2010s. I could picture someone like Missy Elliott or Ciara wearing these looks in a music video. It also brought to mind a look Zendaya wore on the red carpet in 2014, pairing a sporty jacket with a long skirt featuring a thigh-high split and ruffle trim. In Smith’s collection, that same mix of sporty and feminine elements offered another example of how opposing ideas could exist within a single look.
Another thing that stood out was Smith’s use of color and animal prints. Seafoam green, sky blue, and lavender brought softer moments to the collection, while browns and other earth tones appeared throughout. Animal motifs also played a major role, from the Bambi-inspired moto jacket to snakeskin pieces like the two-toned trench and lavender snakeskin skirt. The lavender skirt was particularly interesting within Smith’s exploration of hard and soft. Snakeskin reads harder to me because of its association with a dangerous animal, but using it in a soft pastel lavender gave the print a more delicate feel. Animal print has also been something I’ve noticed across the Spring 2027 runways, though Smith’s snakeskin and deer prints offered a different exploration than the tiger print seen in Sergio Hudson’s collection.
The collection also made a case for Smith’s “24-hour perspective” of his customer. While there were pieces that expanded her wardrobe beyond the party, Smith didn’t abandon the sensuality he is known for. Deep plunging necklines, cutouts, sheer lace, and thigh-high splits appeared throughout the collection alongside jackets, capris, and more covered silhouettes. Rather than introducing an entirely different woman, the collection felt like an exploration of the different sides of the same LaQuan Smith woman—what she might wear throughout her day while still maintaining the confidence and sex appeal associated with the brand.
Ultimately, Smith’s Spring 2027 collection delivered on the dichotomy he set out to explore. Hard and soft, daring and delicate, masculine and feminine appeared throughout the collection, but none of the opposing ideas felt like they were competing for attention. Through proportion, styling, color, and recurring details, Smith found a way to make those contrasts feel cohesive. More importantly, the collection expanded the idea of who the LaQuan Smith woman can be and where she can go, without losing the qualities that made her recognizable in the first place.