Janelle Monae rocks Ralph Lauren’s fashion show
The singer performed in a jazz nightclub before guests including Cate Blanchett
Janelle Monae brought down the house Saturday at Ralph Lauren’s New York Fashion Week show, where “the house” was a jazzy nightclub of yesteryear that Lauren created inside a Wall Street building to debut his autumn collection.
The singer hopped on a table and danced to the ground as she performed before the huge roomful of guests instructed to wear black-and-white evening attire — although actor Henry Golding missed that memo, showing up in a stunning blue velvet tuxedo instead.
Sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid were among the models who navigated a grand staircase of the art deco club inspired by the glamorous see-and-be-seen New York of the 1920s and ‘30s as they showed off Lauren’s sparkly dresses and tuxedo-inspired evening looks.
They walked amid the small, white-clothed tables that seated guests, including actress Cate Blanchett dressed in a sleek black jumpsuit.
Golding was impressed.
“This is insane,” he said as he grabbed a drink at the bar. “I mean, this is one of my favourite things to do, just sit in a jazz club. And look at this beautiful art deco room. It’s phenomenal.”
Ralph’s Club continues Lauren’s penchant of late for immersing his fashion week crowds rather than marching models down a runway. In the past, he has enticed his guests to his rural home north of the city for a jaunt in his garage. Ralph’s Club follows Ralph’s Cafe.
“It just was the right time,” Lauren said after the show as the evening wound down. “We’re celebrating. There are a lot of things in the world that are not so wonderful. Every once in awhile, it’s nice to dance.”