Bridges serenaded the room as models slipped down the runway under hanging silver stars, wearing military-inspired suits with delicate rope accents and silken sashes, intricately embroidered two-pieces, jackets fringed with tassels, sequin shorts, and knee-high socks. Some carried canvas bags of white flowers, others wore ribbons in their hair, echoing notes of homecoming pageantry. Among the models was New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara in a blood red fringed suede jacket.
By GQ/Krista Schlueter.
Under the setting sun, guests then paraded down their own runway outside the church—an artificial turf “green” carpet accompanied by GQ Bowl logos made of buttery white flowers—before meandering into a courtyard transformed into a celestial oasis. As the night sky darkened and the music grew louder, they danced to a DJ spinning hip-hop and R&B under hanging stars, disco balls, and crescent moons. They ate New Orleans classics like decadent shrimp and grits and cornbread and jambalaya, also sipping signature cocktails like the Orange Palmer and the GQ marg—or taking straight shots of Glenmorangie’s The Infinita, an 18-year-old single-malt whisky.
