She got out of jail, is under house arrest, but who says fake heiress Anna Delvey can’t stage a fashion show? In New York, she can

Front row, from left: designer Shao Yang, house arrestee Anna Sorokin, and publicist Kelly Cutrone. Photo: wazaiii/Instagram

By now you know that famous, convicted scammer Anna Sorokin—aka Anna Delvey when she was a fake German heiress—has completed a two-year jail stint. But she was placed under house arrest after her release for overstaying her visa and has been confined to her residence in the East Village for almost a year. She is also trying to fight deportation to her native Germany. The authorities may not want her to remain in her chosen home of New York, but it looks like she has no shortage of supporters who do not mind her staying put, especially when she could stage a fashion show right at the heart of New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Ms Sorokin wants to be remembered as a fashionista (even in court!) and, now, a fashion impresario.

She hacked a grand plan: If she could not attend NYFW, she would make NYFW come to her. Together with TV personality and PR maven Kelly Cutrone (of People’s Revolution fame), she started a “pop-up” fashion PR outfit, fittingly called Outlaw Agency, and effectively making a mockery of her house arrest and those who detained her at home. It is not known who came up with that name, but it is not immoderate to think that she loved it. Ms Cutrone is the right person to go into partnership with. She has been a pillar of NYFW since the ’90s. In 2002, her People’s Revolution reportedly produced the most shows during NYFW, which was touted as “a record”. According to ABC News, this feat was achievable because that year was the anniversary of September 11 and Ms Cutrone “was the only person willing to put on shows”.

…she started a “pop-up” fashion PR outfit, fittingly called Outlaw Agency, effectively making a mockery of her house arrest and those who secured her in that position

She secured her powerhouse, now all Anna Sorokin needed was a designer with a collection. She found her in the Taiwanese-American, Brooklyn-based tailor Shao Yang. A Parsons graduate, Ms Yang has, since, 2014, mainly offered made-to-measure service through the company she founded, The Tailory New York. She has a large following among New York’s LGBTQ community, as evidenced in her Instagram posts, which showed many images of her gay customers wearing her suits on their wedding day or in the throes of heady romance. The show Ms Sorokin facilitated was her first outing as designer under her own name (the label is called Shao). As expected, she showed of her flair for what has been described as “gender-fluid” tailoring, supposedly inspired by New York in the ’80s, but had quite a whiff of present-day Saint Laurent, and a dash of Alexander Wang, for extra flavour.

On her choice of Shao, Ms Sorokin told CNN, with considerable marketing savvy: ”I love the clothes—I would have never done this if we didn’t love the collection.” It isn’t known if she knew Ms Yang before this, or if she was acquainted with her designs or was already a (paying) customer. But through Ms Yang’s respectable NYFW debut, she was able to augment her visibility, all in the comfort of a space just a few steps away above where she was supposed to be confined. And although this was the not the polished show one imagines would garner media attention, the Shao presentation, even in less than ideal conditions (it rained before the start), did. Ms Cutrone described it to Forbes as “real”. It was Anna Sorokin’s reality until it is not.

The Shao looks. Photos: (top row) Shao (bottom) Outlaw Agency

It is not known how she had the financial resources (did she not have to pay back the US$275,000 she had scammed?) to co-start Outlaw Agency and to pay for the show, even if it did appear to be pulled together on a budget. Still, there would be cost involved. Models, for example, are not going to do the show for free (among time, old-timer Irina Pantaeva). Ms Sorokin made substantial savings in terms of the location, as the show was held on the roof top of her apartment. Apparently she lives just one level below, which allowed her to organise the al fresco event without having to go far as she had been—and still was—wearing an ankle monitor, 24/7. Members of the press who were invited (including crews from TV stations) were delighted to report that guests were so fascinated by her wearing one that quite a few asked her to show them the wearable (but not removable) under the leg of her Shao pantsuit (that looked like one from The Tailory, 2015). She obliged. In fashion, as was evident, skins have to be thicker than the Shao leather corsets in the show.

Apart from the press corps, it was not any wannabes or hangers-on who thronged the small show venue. Among the reported 75 VIP guests in attendance were Lady Gaga’s favourite stylist and Mugler’s former designer Nicola Formichetti and the French editor/art critic/photographer Olivier Zahm. Why would a designer need professional gravitas when there are fashion stars and, above all, a famous malefactor to lean on, if not to happily pose with? Shao Yang had her high exposure and Anna Sorokin had her NYFW moment. Who in this curious partnership was using whom, it was not immediately clear. Until the next scam allegation appears? High above every other show in New York this lacklustre season, the tailor-turned-designer Shao Yang could not have had a better start. And Anna Sorokin, celebrity savvy intact, a re-start.