LaQuan Smith Spring 2027 Review: The Standout Looks, Boldest Risks and What I’m Still Thinking About
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
LaQuan Smith already knows how to dress a woman who wants to be seen. The question hanging over his Spring 2027 collection was whether he could give her a wardrobe for the hours before the party, too.
That is the direction Smith described ahead of his New York Fashion Week show. His customer is coming to him for more than the nightlife pieces that built his reputation. So alongside the sheer gowns and animal prints were dark denim, shirt dresses, tailoring and outerwear. I found myself more interested in those pieces than in the obvious showstoppers. They told me more about where LaQuan Smith could go next.
The denim was the clearest win
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
The dark denim sets made the strongest case for this expanded wardrobe. The silhouettes were still sharp and body-conscious, but the fabric gave them a different energy. Zippers let the wearer decide how open or covered the pieces should be, which felt like a useful design choice rather than a gimmick. I could imagine wearing a jacket from this group beyond one very specific night out.
That matters because simply adding denim does not make a collection more wearable. Smith kept the assertive shoulders and fitted lines that make his clothes recognizable. The change was in what those signatures could do. A dark denim look can hold its own in daylight without losing the confidence people come to him for.
The hard-and-soft styling took real risks
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
I also liked the moments when Smith put pieces together that should not have worked on paper. A sporty windbreaker against a fluffy skirt gave both items more personality, the jacket interrupted the sweetness of the skirt, while the skirt kept the jacket from feeling like an unrelated streetwear detour. That push and pull was more compelling to me than another perfectly coordinated outfit.
Embossed python, feathers, lace and deer-inspired prints took the same idea further. The strongest combinations gave a dramatic texture something quieter to play against. When everything in a look demanded attention at once, the concept became harder to read. But when Smith allowed one piece to lead, the mix felt deliberate and fresh.
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
The orange sheer gown was still a moment. Its lightness and color cut through the heavier textures elsewhere in the collection, and it delivered the glamour Smith does so well. I would not use it as proof of a new daytime direction. I would use it as proof that he can broaden his range without abandoning the woman who came to him for an unforgettable entrance.
Where the daywear promise got less convincing
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
A collection built around dressing someone throughout her day has to make movement part of the fantasy. Vogue reported that some trouser hems pooled at the models’ ankles and that high heels on a slippery runway made walking difficult. Runway conditions are not a wear test, but the presentation made those longer silhouettes feel less resolved. If ease is part of the pitch, the clothes need to communicate it.
I had a similar reaction to some of the familiar sheer eveningwear. A revealing dress can be beautiful and still feel like a return to territory Smith has already covered. Placed next to the denim and the more surprising outerwear, those looks did less to answer the collection’s central question. I wanted to see him push the daytime pieces with the same conviction he brings to a gown.
Spring 2027 did not need to turn LaQuan Smith into a minimalist or make every look practical. It needed to show that his point of view could stretch. The denim sets did that. So did the best of the tailoring and the unlikely pairings of sport and softness. The less convincing looks showed how difficult it is to build an all-day wardrobe without losing the precise impact of the original brand.
I left this collection thinking less about the dress you wear to make an entrance and more about the jacket you might keep reaching for afterward. That feels like a meaningful step forward. Smith has mastered the night out; now the most interesting part of his work may be what happens before it.
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