Everybody loves a comeback story, and on Wednesday night, the crowd was eager to cheer on Public School‘s return to the runway.

“ Their return is such a big deal because to me, they’re such an urban chic brand that allows you to really express yourself through their clothing,” said eponymous singer Monica, dressed in a long tailored Public School coat. “You can almost feel things from their perspective when you wear them.  Like this coat is very dramatic — just as I am —  but it was created by them, with many of us in mind.”

“I also wanted to bring my son for the first time to a show,” added Monica, who attended with son Rodney Ramone Hill III. “And I thought Public School’s return would be the best one, so that he really got a good feel for the energy that should be connected to all things fashion.”

Jackson Lee

Jackson Lewis Lee

Nina Westervelt/WWD

“Growing up in New York City, Maxwell was always the cool older kid, you know what I mean?” said Jackson Lewis Lee, whose parents are Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. “He was always doing big things, but it’s great to see him just putting out an interesting body of work and I’m so glad that he came back.  It’s really like a staple New York City brand.”

His look for the night included an “Air Jordan shirt, Air Jordan sneakers,” but the rest of the fit was Public School. Jackson was planning to hit a few after parties later that night, “ and then I’m off to L.A. tomorrow for All Star weekend,” he said.

Like many VIPs and longtime friends of the brand, Miles Chamley-Watson was “head-to-toe” in Public School (the hat was Kangol). “To see [Public School] come back, it just feels good for New York City and for fashion,” said Chamley-Watson.

The Olympic fencer is already in prep mode for the 2028 summer Olympics, and just launched his own league, the World Fencing League, which will debut in L.A. in April. While on Wednesday night his attention was on the runway show, he’s also been invested in watching the Olympic winter games. “I’m rooting for my home girl Chloe Kim, and Eileen Gu,” he said. “I love every Olympics, and it’s really the time to shine. I understand the pressure.”

Other show guests included Arcángel, Fabolous, Ronny Chieng, Suni Lee, Sergio Hudson, Thom Browne, Joakim Noah and more. As the lights in the room dimmed for the first model on the runway, Noah vocalized what many were feeling: “Let’s f–cking go!”

Fabolous and Arcángel

Fabolous and Arcángel

Nina Westervelt/WWD

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