The Blonds have always rebelled against convention. Each season, the fashion wildcard—the theatrical New York-based designing duo made up of Phillipe Blond and David Blond—depart from the traditional runway show to put on a show that often doubles as a full-blown concert.
For its spring 2019 show, Disney villains went high-fashion, as models (including Paris Hilton and YouTube sensation, Patrick Starr) sported glossy, embellished ensembles inspired by evil queens Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Queen of Hearts, Ursula, and more. Returning to the fall 2019 NYFW circuit, The Blonds upped the ante on the theatrics (and star power) with a heavily-embellished collection dipped in liquid gold, white, and emerald green.
You don’t come to The Blonds runway show expecting subtlety. The provocateurs operate on their own level of extra: bold animal prints, bedazzled bras, and lots of skin, because the individual who wears The Blonds isn’t in the business of looking like anyone else. A set of three models opened the show before Phillipe Blond hit the runway himself in the first look of the night: a fluffy, white mid-length fur coat layered over satin tailored trousers and a stack of gold chains.
MIKE COPPOLA
A stream of lavish dresses with sharp, exaggerated shoulders, plunging necklines, and asymmetrical thigh-high slits followed suit, some designed in tiger prints or encrusted with a number of jewels that could blind an innocent bystander.
Celebrities Paris Hilton, Jillian Hervey (of Lion Babe), and Karrueche Tran modeled dazzling scoop-neck bodices that have become the brand’s signature, while The Clermont Twins strutted down the runway in barely-there gold bodysuits and dollar-sign nipple pasties.
Paris Hilton
Karrueche Tran
Jillian Hervey
The Clermont Twins
Instead of heading backstage after their runway walk, a gang of models lingered in the shadows of The Blonds’s runway marquee to catch the surprise star of the night: Lil’ Kim.
Wearing a gold-studded, plunging v-neck jumpsuit complete with a waist belt and a headset microphone, Lil’ Kim was welcomed by the crowd with a chorus of screams and applause. Then, the realparty started. Kim closed out the show with a performance of her early hit “The Jump Off,” prompting attendees to get out of their seats to join in on the “hey” and “ho” chants heard across the room.
