An Ankle Monitor, Party Bus and a Rogue Rooftop Fashion Show: This Is NYFW at Anna Delvey's (Exclusive)
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The ex-con teamed up with fashion PR pro Kelly Cutrone to launch SHAO — Shao Yang's namesake label — in a spectacle that would only happen in N.Y.C.
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There was never any doubt that a New York Fashion Week production put on by convicted con artist Anna Delvey and fashion PR powerhouse Kelly Cutrone would be anything less than memorable. So when the two teamed up to form the OutLaw Agency to help fashion designer Shao Yang launch her namesake label SHAO on Sept. 11 on a rooftop in New York City, it was going to be a night no one would soon forget.
"It was cool, chaotic and very New York," Yang tells PEOPLE right after the show wrapped.
But to understand how everything got to that cool and chaotic conclusion, you have to rewind to where it began — with Delvey and Cutrone coming together in the name of fashion.
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Despite seemingly everyone knowing who Delvey is, Cutrone actually did not know who she was just a few short months ago. "My daughter, who's 21, one morning, was like, 'You're so cool, you're on Call Her Daddy podcast, Anna Delvey's talking about you," Cutrone tells PEOPLE a few weeks prior to the show.
"I'm just like, who's Anna Delvey?" Cutrone continues with a laugh, before going on to tell the story of how, through a few industry people, she ends up getting linked up with Delvey, who actually had admitted on the podcast that she admired the PR pro.
The two had the bright idea to form the OutLaw Agency to lift up Yang's work during NYFW, because as Cutrone says, Fashion Week can be, quite frankly, "f------ boring," and she believed the two of them could have some real fun with it in a way that would celebrate the city and celebrate Yang's work.
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The team that became the OutLaw Agency brought that energy into the entire production, theming the whole night as "outlaw" — from holding the show on Delvey's rooftop (because she is still, in fact, on house arrest) to designing Yang's hair and makeup around an edgy look.
And Delvey, Cutrone and Yang loved every second of it, they say.
"Nothing has felt like work," Delvey tells PEOPLE. "Kelly's nonstop, but I'm the same way."
Though there was certainly some star power in the names behind the show — including the pros they hired for the models — everything felt a bit like a grassroots production that was being pieced together on the fly. (Aside from Yang's designs, which were flawless.)
Cutrone tells PEOPLE that one of their biggest obstacles was, of course, the venue, because of Delvey's house arrest.
"I didn't realize how small Anna's apartment was," she says. "It's really small, so I kind of overshot the mark as a producer to start with, and that's what pushed us onto the rooftop."
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Fortunately for all involved, Delvey's house arrest allows her access to the rooftop — it's only one floor above her apartment — so that made the venue fair game. However, the space wasn't big enough to host the backstage area to get the models ready.
Instead, everyone got ready at a space on the other side of town. In tiny space in a building on Canal Street, a couple dozen models, Cutrone, Yang and their team got everyone ready for their big night on Sept. 11. Anyone who's experienced backstage at a fashion show knows it's love and chaos, excitement and nerves.
Makeup artist Kabuki, who has worked with Natasha Lyonne and Julia Fox, pulled together the glam for the evening, harnessing Yang's '80s-inspired designs into a graphic eye look.
"I'm using a silver and neon color palette to tie into the clothes," he tells PEOPLE while prepping the models for the show. "With the graphic lines, it also ties into the tailoring of the clothing. It's all a little unorthodox."
Models' skin was kept clean and fresh with the focus drawn to the linework Kabuki and the makeup artists created. One model even got a silver detail on his ears.
Hairstylist Ted Gibson — who's worked with Angelina Jolie and Priyanka Chopra Jonas — tells PEOPLE that the hair for the show had a very "specific" feel for the night: outlaws.
"We wanted them to be a bit rough and tumble, not too pretty," he tells PEOPLE. "We wanted a little bit of an edge. That means ponytails, slicked hair, some bangs."
To achieve the look, he used Shooting Star Texture Meringue from his own collection to ensure the hair stayed smooth to the head.
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If you've watched The Hills or Kell on Earth, you've seen Cutrone in action and you know she runs a tight ship — but you also know she takes care of her team and her projects. When things fell behind schedule in the studio, Cutrone pushed everyone along. When it started to rain and the models got nervous about the status of the rooftop show, Cutrone gave them a pep talk. When the bus driver who was supposed to transport everyone to Delvey's apartment was 40 minutes late, Cutrone handled it like the pro that she is.
At one point she turned to someone in the room and asked if they felt like they were on an episode of The Hills before chuckling and walking away.
If nothing else, Kelly Cutrone is completely self-aware.
She is well-known in the fashion industry — and several of the models, including Jack Beaumont, who made his NYFW debut at the SHAO show, were more than thrilled to be brought into her world for this show.
"Kelly is a powerhouse," the London-based model tells PEOPLE. "I'm so grateful she's given me this opportunity. It feels so surreal. She's taken me under her wing — she came and gave me a big hug today, and I'm just so excited."
Other models, like Emma Gu, weren't necessarily familiar with Cutrone or Delvey, but appreciated the edginess of the entire production. "Kelly and Anna have been really great to work with — I only just met them at casting," Gu says, adding that even though she didn't know exactly what she was getting into, she's glad she went for the casting call. "I love the look I'm wearing tonight!"
Yang, who specializes in tailored suiting, created her collection inspired by the '80s, she tells PEOPLE. "I'm an '80s baby, so everything I do has a little bit of that to it," she says. "You see that in the color and in the silhouette, and everything is wearable."
She spent her whole time in the studio blending in with the dressers getting the models in order — not necessarily something you'd see a designer doing ahead of a show. That included getting down on the floor to dust off a shoe or tweaking a sleeve she wasn't happy with and making changes to whole outfits on the fly.
"I couldn't resist getting in there and doing it," she says after the show, adding that one of the looks was completely remade just hours before showtime because she had a spark of inspiration.
The collection included pops of neon — perfect for the '80s vibe and all manner of suiting. Largely with an androgynous bent, each piece is meant to be worn comfortably, Yang says. "I want the clothes to be worn, that's the whole point," she adds.
Once she finishes getting everyone dressed, two dozen models hop into a party bus along with the designer and Cutrone to head over to Delvey's apartment. The ex-con FaceTimes the group on the ride over, which only fuels the anticipation. During the drive, Cutrone provides another pep talk to the models, reminding them of the outlaw theme.
Cutrone divulges that if the rain continues, the show might just be in the middle of the street, but no matter what, she wants everyone to give it their all. And after a few cheers from the group, the bus finally pulls up to Delvey's apartment — and a whole crowd of people and flashing lights.
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While the models gather next door at a restaurant, invited guests take the five flights of stairs up to Delvey's rooftop — passing her mailbox and apartment door along the way. Upon landing on her small roof, there is a setup of chairs and lights for the show, and a buzz of anticipation. Just before it starts, the woman of the hour comes out for photos before going back inside to allow SHAO's collection its moment to shine.
Despite the fear of rain, it all held out, and the swift fashion show — that took place in about 10 square feet of space — went off without a hitch. Immediately after it ended, Cutrone and Delvey came out to take their bows. Yang, surprisingly, did not, despite the fact that it was her show. The designer seemed content to let her production team have the spotlight for most of the night.
While many of the 50 or so people left the rooftop after the show, some lingered to get their moment with Delvey. Though the show started about 40 minutes late and it was now about 8 p.m., Delvey, Cutrone and Yang stayed on the rooftop for another two hours entertaining guests — rather than going to the official afterparty next door. (For obvious reasons, Delvey could not attend her own afteryparty.)
During that two hours, Delvey took pictures with admirers and showed off her ankle monitor to anyone who asked.
"It's the same it used to be a year ago," she jokingly reminded everyone who asked to see it. And while some ex-cons who are stuck wearing an ankle monitor might downplay it, she wore hers with 3-inch stilettos under her custom SHAO outfit.
"Her jacket is all hand-beaded," Yang tells PEOPLE. "I enjoy that, it's very therapeutic for me to sit and see one bead go in and go out. I love seeing the organic pattern come to life."
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As the night wound down, Yang, Cutrone and Delvey grew introspective about their work together and celebrating New York — and celebrating women.
"It's great working with people who think outside the box," Yang says of Delvey and Cutrone. "We break all the rules. It's just been a very New York Moment."
"We just have the same energy and the same vibes," Delvey tells PEOPLE of Cutrone. "It's been so much fun."
"She's a sharp shooter," Cutrone gushes right back about her production partner. "I'm a lot older than her, and it's been fun for me to show up for her, not just as a partner in this pop-up, but also as a woman. She's going to need help and people who know what's going on. My brand is very polarizing, but I could work with her in that way — I could take the heat."
Just before N.Y.P.D. offers came to shut down the last dregs of the rooftop party, Cutrone candidly tells PEOPLE that this night truly shows how important creativity is, especially to New York. But of course she does so in her own signature fashion.
"This city is falling apart around here, but this is all about community," she says. "It's night of the living dead, but we've made it night of the living bitches."
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