MOVING ON, SORT OF: Nine months after Anna Delvey cohosted a rooftop runway show for New York designer Shao Yang while under house arrest, she turned up for a court appearance Thursday wearing a collaborative design.
The fashion-savvy convicted felon is widely known for her criminal record and through the Netflix series “Inventing Anna,” which chronicled her rise and fall in New York City. Dubbed the “fake heiress,” Delvey was arrested in 2017 and found guilty of eight charges, including attempted grand larceny in the first degree and theft of services. Delvey had posed as a well-connected affluent German heiress and scammed more than $275,000 in white-chip indulgences like private jet services and luxury hotel stays. Since being released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody three years ago and placed under house arrest in October, she has been trying to distance herself from that reputation.
During an interview earlier this week, Delvey said she was trying to move away from the fake heiress narrative and highlight what has happened since she was released from criminal custody. Last fall she teamed up with publicist Kelly Cutrone to create the pop-up Outlaw Firm in order to coproduce what was the first Shao New York fashion show.
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“Trying to stay busy and productive,” Delvey said. She said she has been filming a documentary, which has been picked up by a streaming service that she said she was not at liberty to name. A release date is contingent on her being free from house arrest, since thus far only big events like last fall’s Shao show and developments with her legal case have been filmed. “On a daily basis, I don’t so anything that is so exciting. It would be easier to create more content if I was able to leave the house,” she said. “Nobody wants to see me sitting on the couch writing the book. It all depends when I will be free to do interesting things that people want to watch.”
Yes, there is a book in the works, too, but she doesn’t want to rehash this old story of her trials and tribulations. It will zero in on her experiences in jail and her efforts to turn everything around. Knowing that any potential book buyers will want some intel about her notorious story, Delvey said, “If I don’t talk about it at all, people will be mad and feel cheated. I’m trying to balance the two.”
And building upon her “fake talk show,” she and Cutrone are creating a format with a fake cooking show, “where we tell people not to cook. But I am forced to cook because I am under house arrest,” Delvey said.
As for Thursday’s outfit, Delvey and the designer created an Italian silk and wool blend double-breasted dress with a pussy bow. Her ankle monitor was customized with a Swarovski crystal letter “A” (as in “Anna” and “Ankle,” as well as a wink at “The Scarlet Letter”). The custom $2,950 frock and the $495 bow are available for preorder, Cutrone said Friday. And the matching pussy bow is $495. There is also a $2,050 version with a $195 pussy bow that is made with more affordable fabrics. Design choices were done via group texts and fittings were completed at Cutrone’s Cold Spring, N.Y. home, where Delvey has been staying.
Having worn Michael Kors, Victoria Beckham, Yves Saint Laurent, Zara and other labels for previous court appearances, Delvey praised Yang’s tailoring and 10 years of experience. “I like Shao’s stuff a lot. I wouldn’t be wearing it if I didn’t. In the end, it’s going to be on me. I’m very particular. I wouldn’t just put anything on,” Delvey said.
With her immigration proceedings, Delvey claimed that the government is trying to paint her as though she is trying to use her hearings for attention, “is not taking the system seriously or is trying to throw a fashion show, which was never the case,” she said. “The outfits that we choose are very court appropriate. I don’t show up looking like an exotic dancer. I don’t think women should be seen as shallow and attention-seeking just for picking nice clothes.”
John Sandweg, an attorney from Nixon Peabody LLP who is representing Delvey, did not respond to a media request Friday afternoon.
