Wendy Williams made a high-profile return to New York Fashion Week, strolling unassisted into LaQuan Smith’s show and taking a front-row seat beside Ice-T and Coco Austin. The former radio and talk-show host, who has been under court-appointed guardianship, arrived without a wheelchair and flashed a smile as she settled into the front row. Williams has been out of the spotlight for months but has been making the rounds at NYFW, attending the Dennis Basso and Bach Mai presentations earlier in the week. Her attendance drew a gallery of A-list guests and a warm reception from Smith’s insider crowd.
The front row at the Classic Car Club, a swank, members-only venue with a Hudson River terrace, was packed with stars and tastemakers. Lil’ Kim, Ice Spice, Busta Rhymes, Latto, Larsen Thompson, Adam Lambert, Ty Dolla $ign, Valentina Ferrer, Sai De Silva, Amerie, Brooklyn Nikole, Jordyn Woods, Ari Lennox and the Combs siblings—D’Lila and Jessie, alongside their older brother Christian “King” Combs—were among those seen mingling while photographers clicked. The guests chatted, sipped cocktails and snacked on caviar canapés as they waited for the show to begin. Ice-T and his wife, Coco Austin, raised a glass to the designer in a nod to the night’s celebratory mood.
The Combs twins, who recently finished high school, posed like models in front of a silver Porsche Spyder parked on the runway. Clad in LaQuan Smith’s shiny black minidresses, the 18-year-olds told reporters they aim to become cover models but have not yet signed with an agency. “We wanted to be supermodels our entire lives, but we recently graduated [from high school] so now it’s the perfect time to really put our dreams into action,” D’Lila explained. The sisters have already practiced their walk and said they’ve walked in other shows, including 831 Minhle in Los Angeles and the Ellaé Lisqué 10th anniversary show, where they wore matching purple gowns. King Combs noted his girlfriend, Raven Tracy, looked great in LaQuan Smith’s collection.
“We always practice, that’s something that we do almost every day,” Jessie added. “Even some people say our normal walk looks like a runway strut. We’re like, no, it’s just natural to us.” The twins credited their mother, who they described as a former supermodel, for early tips, and they said their aunt Kimora Lee Simmons offers daily guidance. Naomi Campbell has also offered counsel, with one sister recalling a message to “stay confident and do what you love.” “We love being twins,” Jessie said, “Everything we do, we want to go together. It’s either you want both or you want none.”
Williams found plenty to covet in Smith’s collection, which blended provocative silhouettes with more romantic, floaty pieces. The mood remained sultry and seductive, with a range of looks from barely-there bodysuits and hip-baring dresses to high-necked catsuits adorned with a zip front and a “tactical” knife motif in a hip holster. There were also softer options, like a diaphanous pink number tied in front like a sarong and a filmy snake-print dress, underscoring Smith’s signature mix of power and flirtation. While the collection pressed the boundaries, the overall energy stayed celebratory and glamorous.
Williams, who told Alexa that she’s excited to see what the rest of NYFW holds, appeared pleased with her proximity to the crowd and the chance to be back in the public eye. “Fabulous! Fabulous!” she enthused about the collection and noted that there were pieces she’d like to own, including a fluffy black-and-white coat she wore that night. The moment underscored a broader summer-to-fall arc for Williams as she navigates a new phase of public life while remaining a fixture in fashion circles.
The night also highlighted a younger generation of industry entrants. The Combs twins, who trained in the family’s fashion-forward orbit, spoke with purpose about leveraging their visibility. Their decision to pursue modeling together—emphasizing that they prefer to work in tandem—speaks to a growing trend of paired-entry into fashion, particularly among siblings who have benefited from name recognition and social media momentum. The twins’ willingness to publicly discuss their ambitions marks a notable moment for a family accustomed to steering media narratives around entertainment, fashion and entrepreneurship.
LaQuan Smith’s show, known for its electric, club-like energy and unapologetic sensuality, delivered a collection that kept pace with the moment. The designer’s signature ensembles—ranging from skin-skimming silhouettes to more engineered, utilitarian accents—offered a spectrum that appealed to Williams’s fashion-forward reputation and the star-studded audience’s appetite for spectacle. The presence of a popular reality-and-fashion crossover audience, the Combs children included, reinforced NYFW’s current emphasis on cross-generational appeal and the melding of music, film and fashion worlds.
Images from the night captured the clash of high fashion and pop culture: Williams’s confident arrival, the twin models posing in metallic fabrics, and the sea of photographers framing every step. The show’s energy, amplified by the entourage and the urban-glam backdrop, underscored LaQuan Smith’s ability to stage moments that feel both aspirational and accessible to a broad public audience. As NYFW continues to unfold, Williams’s return and the Combs twins’ early foray into modeling will likely fuel continued attention on the season’s most talked-about moments.
