Serena Williams Leads the Runway at Anna Wintour’s ‘Vogue World’ Party

Vogue World

On Monday night, Vogue staged its inaugural live editorial fashion show Vogue World: New York, an eclectic mashup of expected supermodel strutting, pop performance and bursts of dance routines and street drumming—led by a stunning Serena Williams in shimmering, custom Balenciaga. Set live at bustling Fulton Street in downtown Manhattan and available to be watched by at-home viewers via livestream, the show, in trying to harness as many different experiential opportunities as possible (another feature let viewers “try on” featured outfits via AR lenses), ended up feeling a bit scattered.

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Dan Ladden-Hall, Rachel Olding

Editors from the magazine curated their favorite looks from Fall 2022 to be modeled in Vogue World, meaning a mix of models and hip sophisticates flooded the runway (in groups) in pieces by Balenciaga, Dior, Bode, Christopher John Rogers and many others without any clarity on who was wearing what. That being said, when Lil Nas X popped out of his plum seat beside editor in chief Anna Wintour to belt “Industry Baby,” it was goosebump-inducing, and the high point came when heavy-hitters like Karlie Kloss, Lara Stone, Shalom Harlow and Kendall Jenner strutted in a traditional straight line, vamping to the sounds of Madonna’s “Vogue.” When it comes to runway magic, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Dennis Basso

The white-columned, chandelier-adorned ballroom at the Pierre Hotel Dennis Basso chose for his Spring/Summer 2023 runway presentation was fit for royalty, who arrived presently: momager extraordinaire Kris Jenner greeted Martha Stewart warmly in the front row, and Real Housewives of New York stars Ramona Singer and Kelly Killoren Bensimon were also on hand to catch the action. (Basso married his husband Michael Cominotto at the Pierre in 2011 in what was the hotel’s first same-sex wedding.)

Basso, a favorite of luminaries on either side of the aisle (both Melania Trump and Michelle Obama are loyal customers), debuted his new collection, “Our Garden,” filled with floaty pastels, full-body lace and elegant, oversized bows. “Garden,” which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Basso’s time in the fashion business, “draws inspiration from two things paramount to me in designing for women: a sense of place and a sense of occasion,” the designer wrote in his program notes.

The luscious evening gowns and Easter-hued fur capelets played perfectly to the audience of Upper East Siders, but what leapt out most to me was one simple white track jacket with barely visible laser-sliced cutouts: a small nod to sportswear’s enduring dominance, even amongst the Regency Hotel set.