Scammer sensation Anna Delvey’s current predicament — specifically, being on house arrest for her various crimes — wasn’t about to stop the ankle bracelet-accessorized, spotlight-grabbing socialite from stealing Fashion Week headlines.
And so, for a few hours on Monday night, the ramshackle, rain-soaked rooftop of Delvey’s East Village walkup-cum-lockup hosted the hottest catwalk in New York, where the Russian native turned Big Apple boldfacer co-hosted an al fresco show for up-and-coming designer Shao Yang.
“There’s obviously not much I can do for the Fashion Week — we can’t leave the house,” Delvey told The Post.
Now, she said, she doesn’t “feel left out.”
With the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop and “The Sopranos” theme thumping from loudspeakers, fashionistas in stilettos braved the muddy mine field not only for a glimpse of Yang’s breakout collection — but a brush with infamy, too.
Delvey was famously convicted of grand larceny and theft of services and served nearly four years in prison, and has since been confined to her home for overstaying her visa. Her lengthy — and apparently, ongoing — story was the subject of a Netflix series, “Inventing Anna.”
The literally elevated presentation revived a certain edgy energy once de rigueur in the long-ago gentrified neighborhood and during early fashion weeks — in stark contrast to the cookie cutter runway shows now favored by big brands.
Monday’s show was co-produced with another New York legend — Kelly Cutrone, CEO and founder of People’s Revolution. The unlikely duo are quickly becoming known for their work with emerging artists and designers through their pop-up firm, Outlaw Agency.
It’s a way, Delvey explains, of putting her name to good use.
“I hope I’m just finally channeling this attention that I’ll be getting to help somebody else,” she said.
For Yang, who has a rich background in bespoke tailoring as the founder of The Tailory, the event was the launch for her namesake label.
Models gingerly scaled multiple flights of stairs to reach the rooftop of Delvey’s First Ave. building, where they appeared one by one for a few dozen cramped rooftop guests to ogle.
Yang’s rendition of the classic white oxford brushed the ankles of one model, creating more movement and softness in the classically stringent garment.
Playing with juxtaposed gender stereotypes, delicately embellished midi skirts with boned bodices were paired with rigid collared shirts, while traditionally conservative suit jackets were cropped and styled with ultra-high rise trousers.
“It’s the type of garment that anybody can wear, it doesn’t matter where you fall in the gender spectrum,” Yang, inspired by her ’80s childhood, told The Post.
True to her eye for detail, the stitching in Yang’s collection tied it all together — where one denim suit set featured bold breast pockets outlined in the contrasting thread, the collection’s cargo joggers and jumpsuits featured the same.
The sewing and designs of a number of snugly tailored jumpsuits, sets and rompers were a modern take on ’80s western — right down to the silver buttons fastened from neck to waist — and Yang’s pinstripe suits played on the collection’s experimentation with bold lines.
The linear theme was something that caught the eye of the show’s make-up artist Kabuki, who painted metallic graphic eyeliner on some of the models, who were beautified and styled off-site before being bussed to Delvey’s place.
The spectacle began down in the street, blocking the entrance to Joe & Pat’s Pizzeria, where hordes of bystanders, influencers and media gawked at the lanky models touting Yang’s designs. Fingers crossed they could catch a glimpse of Delvey, too — yet most were forced to remain at ground level.
This was a show that needed to go big, or go home — Delvey and Cutrone delivered both.
The evening’s spectacle also served as a farewell to Delvey’s iconic apartment — a Manhattan hot spot for celebrities, designers and artists alike at the fake heiress’ birthday and dinner parties — her lease is coming to an end.
Before the event, Delvey spoke with The Post about the fact that she could be free living anywhere else, if she chose to do so — except, she said, leaving the country would also mean never returning to New York, the city that has stolen her heart since she touched down for Fall Fashion Week exactly a decade ago.
She likened the unconventional show to her “jail drawings,” which she drew while in prison, making use of the pens, pencils and paper available to her at the time — earning her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Had she not been behind bars, her artwork would likely have been considered “crazy,” she said. And while a rooftop event during fashion week isn’t unheard of, the off-the-beaten-path location — and the show’s part in Delvey’s apparently enduring drama — seemed crazy enough.
“I feel like sometimes when you don’t have any choice, like when you just don’t have unlimited resources to work with, you kind of work around that and try to create the best out of it,” she said, calling the event “once-in-a-lifetime.”
“That’s…what makes it special.”
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