Diversity at NYC Fashion Week 2019: Laverne Cox and 11 Honoré Deliver a Feel-Good, Inclusive Show

Sometimes in fashion, you get to witness something so special that it actually moves you. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you walk away feeling like you got to be part of A Moment — a genuine one, not one engineered for maximum social media exposure.

That’s what happened at February’s New York Fashion Week with an inclusive runway debut from 11 Honoré luxury e-commerce site offering designer fashion in sizes 10 and up. The show featured several of the designers who have gotten on board with the company’s mission to make the industry a more diverse place, and from the moment the lights went down and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” started playing, it was clear this show was going to be different than most runways.

People cheered for looks, cheered for friends, and cheered for a diverse cast of models, including Precious Lee and Candice Huffine, hit the catwalk in a range of designer looks that will be available to shop in extended sizes on the site. Plus models strutted their stuff in all kinds of stunning, capital-F Fashion: Silky pants with slits up the side, body-hugging cocktail dresses with cleavage-baring tops, sequin bomber jackets and flowing floral gowns. And all the looks were shoppable, thanks to a partnership with Shopify. (Shopbop partnered with the retailer, too, providing the accessories, a category 11 Honoré has yet to enter.) All of this would have been special enough on its own, a beautiful moment to start New York Fashion Week.

The cherry on top of an already incredible show? Laverne Cox emerged to the opening sounds of Robyn’s “Honey,” and 11 Honoré’s show went from being a moment to becoming A Moment. Wearing an absolute confection of a Zac Posen gown — bright-pink, with hundreds of layers of pink and red tulle — Cox twirled, played with the fabric of her dress, posed for the camera, vamped for the audience and generally just brought the entire house down. It was a runway walk to beat all other runway walks; it was absolutely fierce, dahlings. This is what fashion should be.

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Photo Credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com