NEW YORK — Beverly Johnson isn’t finished showing the girls how it’s done.
The veteran model, 69, returned toNew York Fashion Week in striking fashion, taking the runway by storm at Sergio Hudson’s show Sunday and closing the Bibhu Mohapatra show Tuesday.
Johnson’s appearances in Hudson and Mohapatra’s shows, both held at Spring Studios in downtown Manhattan, proved she remains a force on the catwalk with her electrifying stare and purposeful strut almost five decades aftermaking history as the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue for the August 1974 issue.
Nostalgia at New York Fashion Week:Coach goes grunge for NYFW show with Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Euphoria’ star Angus Cloud
For Mohapatra, Johnson donned a floor-length white gown featuring a dramatic black cape to close the show, sauntering down the brightly lit runway to applause from the crowd.
Mohapatra’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection, inspired by acclaimed opera “Elektra,” was a study of the opera’s heroines that “explored the spectrum of so many aspects of loss, courage, resilience, experience and strength,” according to the designer’s show notes.
At Hudson’s affair, Johnson sported a mid-length blushdress featuring a ruffled hem, cap sleeves and a deep neckline.
Straight to the runway:Julia Fox opens LaQuan Smith NYFW show hours after announcing Ye split
Mohapatra’s show also featured attendees including Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, “My Unorthodox Life” star Batsheva Haart and Model Roz.
Fashion week returns:Star-studded Christian Siriano NYFW show serves ‘Victorian Matrix’ realness
While fashion stalwarts like Miss J Alexander and Bethann Hardison graced the front row of Mohapatra’s show, one legendary figure’s presence has been noticeably absent from the week: André Leon Talley, the industry trailblazer and former Vogue creative director, who died in January at 73.
In the days following his death, Johnson remembered her late friend’s impact.
“Like I always said, you’re the one out there taking all the arrows in the front and in the back,” Johnson told People magazine. “That’s when you’re a trailblazer, and he most certainly was a trailblazer taking a lot of arrows.”
She continued: “If there was anyone that was a king in the industry, it would be him. He’s a walking encyclopedia. I mean, the engineer of fashion. He could break it all the way down from the beginning and bring it all the way back — and in French! We recognize that genius, so all you can do is bow down to him.”
A loss of a titan:André Leon Talley, fashion industry icon and former creative director of Vogue, dead at 73
‘A generous and loving friend to me’:Naomi Campbell, Anna Wintour, more mourn André Leon Talley
