Gaga’s Stylist Debuted His Own Line & Major Fashion People Showed Up

Last night, Lady Gaga's close friend and stylist, Brandon Maxwell, debuted his namesake fashion line at NYFW. It was a VIP-filled debut and a far cry from most first-time designers' inaugural shows. The Gaga connection (and presence) surely helped build buzz; Maxwell is responsible for the pop star's more subdued, classy look as of late. But Maxwell's supremely '70s-centric collection, filled with high slits and red carpet-ready gowns, went over pretty well with the fashion crowd. In addition to Gaga, Maxwell's pal Alexander Wang caught the show, as did illustrious husband-and-wife photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Bergdorf Goodman's president, Joshua Schulman, and Gaga's former stylist (and Maxwell's ex-boss), Nicola Formichetti.

We caught up with Maxwell to find out how long he's been plotting this design launch (quite a while), how Wang helped the newbie designer keep his cool leading up to the show, and more.