NEW YORK — Please do not be alarmed, remain calm: Beyoncé shocked everyone with a surprise appearance front row at the Luar fashion show Tuesday night.
Just days after breaking the internet (again) with her “Act II” album announcement and the release of two new singles, Beyoncé popped up at New York Fashion Week to mass hysteria and camera flashes from the stunned crowd.
Decked out in a silver ensemble — complete with a bejeweled blazer dress, a silver hood dripping in gems, thigh-high boots and a sparkling silver cowboy hat (apropos of her new singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em”) plus a matching iridescent Luar bag — and flanked by mom Tina Knowles and famed bodyguard Julius de Boer, the entire room shifted when Queen Bey arrived at her seat moments before the show started in a Brooklyn warehouse. Sister Solange Knowles sat a few seats down, dressed in all black next to designer Christopher John Rodgers.
Beyoncé, her sister and her mom weren’t on superstar time for the night, instead on proud aunt, mom and grandma duty supporting Solange Knowles’ son, Daniel “Julez” Smith Jr., in his NYFW debut.
For his entrée to the runway, Smith, 19, modeled an oversized, double-breasted leather coat with exaggerated shoulders and matched leather pants, plus elbow-length furry gloves and a large Luar backpack. Solange Knowles clapped and smiled for her son during the show’s finale.
Smith mingled at the afterparty, dapping up friends and huddling around someone’s phone laughing.
Murmurs of an exclusive fifth-floor area of the afterparty rumbled through the crowd, with partygoers wondering if Beyoncé was still in the building. She was indeed tucked away from the main crowd, as she exited the party to screams from photographers outside, just waiting to get a glimpse of her as she and her shimmering cowboy hat disappeared into the backseat of a black SUV. (One photographer joked that he could quit photography now that he got the shot of his lifetime.)
The show from designer Raul Lopez tapped into the concept of metrosexuality, weaving together centuries worth of inspiration to present what he calls the “return of the metrosexual.”
The collection featured wide-shouldered leather tops in ostrich harkening regency-era shapes, styled on the runway with timepieces connected and draped around the chest like a straightjacket; large leather belts sans buckles instead slung low on the hips and tightened with a bejeweled cuff; sheer tops, one featuring a deep V neck and cinched at the waist with the cursive Luar “L”; and the signature Luar bags were featured in all sizes, also now in a backpack form.
On Monday, Lopez walked USA TODAY through his mood board, featuring photos of men in powdered wigs, runway moments mixing femininity and masculinity, plus the famed 2000s unofficial metrosexual spokesperson David Beckham.
In sharing some of the pieces ahead of the show, the CFDA Award-winning designer talked about the cycle of fashion and why he labeled the collection “Deceptionista,” in line with the truths we tell ourselves and how the softer side of masculinity comes back into style in a new, more accepting way of LGBTQ+ culture.
“For Lopez, metrosexuality is not just a label or a look — it was a trapdoor to acceptance, a way for him to hide his sexuality while growing up,” according to the show notes. In the framework of the “Deceptionista,” he was able “to deceive, shade, and ultimately transcend.”
Aside from Beyoncé stopping NYFW in its tracks Tuesday, many other celebrities have also graced the front row.
Designer Christian Siriano signaled the official kickoff to NYFW with his luxurious return to the runway Thursday, pairing a buzzy front row with a desert-inspired collection that mixed warm, glittering and sumptuous fabrics with sleek silhouettes.
Ashlee Simpson, “Succession” star J. Smith-Cameron, Melanie Lynskey, Busy Philipps, Sophia Bush and Siriano show staple Alicia Silverstone, dressed in a pop of red, rounded out the front row.
Then on Monday, fashion fans got an unofficial “America’s Next Top Model” reunion at the Pamella Rolland show Monday during New York Fashion Week, with Cycle 3 winner Eva Marcille, photographer Nigel Barker and creative director Jay Manuel joining together for a front row moment.
Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
