Anna Delvey’s upcoming NYFW show under house arrest: the ‘fake heiress’ and New York Fashion Week maven Kelly Cutrone will showcase Taiwanese-American designer Shao Yang – but how?
Since her release from prison last October, Anna Delvey has been under house arrest in a 470 sq ft New York flat after deciding to take a stand against the deportation order that would have seen her sent back to Germany.
Banned from using social media and required to wear an ankle monitor, Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, is only allowed out for parole check-ins, Ice check-ins and medical emergencies, per ABC News.
Anna Delvey does a fashion shoot from her flat wearing a Brandon Blackwood coat (left) and a full length Laruicci coat. Photo: @reyes_roderick/Instagram
But, Anna being Anna, the fake heiress has used each outing to her advantage, serving up sassy all-black looks and accessorising her ankle bracelet with the most fabulous heels she can find.
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And now Delvey is about to make headlines again – but not for the reasons you might think. This time, the convicted scammer is taking her fashion dedication to new heights – especially given her 24/7 house arrest – by hosting a show during New York Fashion week.
Yes, you read that right. So how is that even possible?
Anna Delvey’s stylish new life
Despite not being allowed to post on social media for the last 11 months, Delvey has had no shortage of publicity thanks to the media interest around her situation – and the fabulous outfits she’s been rocking on the way to her scheduled appointments. Case in point? The far-too-glamorous-for-a-parole-meeting black satin trench, headscarf and kitten heels she wore last October.
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And while she may not be able to leave at will, she seems to be allowed visitors whenever she likes: cue the glamorous photo shoots for her new podcast, as well as for interviews with Variety and CNN, among others.
She even had one of Madonna’s stylists, Altorrin McIntyre and a full hair and make-up team get her ready for an E! News photo shoot. One of her immigration office outings also went viral, where she dressed up in a black cutaway top, voluminous trousers and a gorgeous up-do.
But how is Delvey pulling off a runway show at NYFW?
Late last month, it was announced that Delvey would team up to produce a show with outspoken fashion PR guru and reality TV star Kelly Cutrone, scheduled for September 11.
Anna Delvey will also be hosting her own podcast. Photo: @audioup/Instagram
To say Cutrone is one of the original movers and shakers of NYFW is something of an understatement, as she’s orchestrated most of the shows for the last hundred plus fashion weeks going back to 1995, according to Interview Magazine.
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Meanwhile, Delvey credits Cutrone as the person who convinced her to move to New York in the first place, after seeing her do her thing on shows like MTV’s The Hills and The City when she was growing up in Germany.
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Now, the pair have created a pop-up PR outfit called The OutLaw Agency, according to media reports, and plan to use Delvey’s fame to draw attention to young up-and-coming designers. “This is fun, but it’s not a joke,” Cutrone said in an interview. “It’s a serious project to get some attention for talented designers.”
It costs at least US$120,000 to stage a show at fashion week, the PR maven explained, making it increasingly difficult for those without financial backing to get noticed. “This project is like if Thelma and Louise and Mother Teresa had a baby,” she quipped.
So which designers are taking part?
So far, only one designer appears to have been confirmed, according to reports, implying it will be a solo show – and that’s Taiwanese-American Parsons graduate Shao Yang.
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After specialising in men’s tailoring and fashion design at university, Yang said she wanted to offer women the “same message of confidence that a perfectly custom tailored suit did for men”, per Voyage LA – and in 2014, her boutique The Tailory New York was born.
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Since then, Yang’s “custom femme” and “custom masc” gender-fluid suits and looks have been a particular hit with New York’s LGBTQ+ community, with a whole section on her website dedicated to tailored wedding suits that “steer away from tradition” and “[kick] expectations to the curb”.
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The designer, who grew up in Brooklyn, has also spoken out in the past about the difficulties she faced coming up as an AAPI woman, saying on Instagram: “My accomplishments as a custom clothier were derided and minimised when I first entered the industry. I was often mistaken for a seamstress despite running my own division of the company.”
Gender-fluid, structured tailoring is Shao Yang’s speciality. Photo: The Tailory New York
On September 1, The Tailory’s Instagram page announced that Yang would be launching a new eponymous label with Cutrone and Delvey at the September 11 event.
Where will the fashion show take place?
Anna Delvey may be out of jail – but she’s definitely not out of fashion. Photo: @whitneywhitneyb/Instagram
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Given Delvey’s constraints – and the fact that her flat is a modest 470 sq ft – it’s unclear where the event will be staged, but so far the pair have admitted that the bulk of the event will happen “in the vicinity” of Delvey’s home, according to reports. Around 20 models will also reportedly have their hair and make-up done on Canal Street on the opposite side of town and be transferred to the East Village for the show.
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And what of the fashion editors in attendance? This would prove to be crucial if Yang is to get any real publicity from the show. Cutrone is apparently inviting a tiny handful to Delvey’s flat to meet the designer in private, per reports.
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