General Idea Fall 2016

General_Idea_Fall_2016It has been a couple of seasons since General Idea has shown in New York City. Thankfully, when Creative Director Bumsuk Choi decided to come back to NYC, there is now a New Fashion Week: Men’s fashion week, placing the Korean brand around fellow menswear confreres.

Always known for its great coats and jackets, in previous seasons Bumsuk Choi has been inspired by an urban warrior aesthetic, sporty color blocking, outdoor mountaineering and camping, and functional athletic wear. And as with every collection there are strong Asian influences expressed in clear architectural, minimalist ideals.

Collages557For fall 2016 there were, once again, strong Asian influences and clear architectural, minimalist motifs. However, in this outing Choi has found a way to synthesize all these influences into a single, refined dissertation on modern sophistication as expressed in men’s outerwear. From the stylish, clean lines of his jackets and coats to the subtle color combinations to the bold digital prints on black backgrounds, this collection was by far Choi’s most refined and masterful. It is as though Choi has finally found his oeuvre without sacrificing the brand’s emphasis on freshness and youthful charm.

Collages558Where in past collections, Choi’s age demographic focused primarily on the stylish man in his 20s, this collection could appeal to a much wider age and style demographic. And the now and next point of view that should always be a part of every collection, but is sadly missing from most, was delicately balanced in this fall outing.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Though there were some garment combinations that seemed slightly out of place in this otherwise cohesive collection—beige cotton sweatshirt with eyelet detail, denim short-sleeved tee shirt with triangle patch detail and denim pants, and beige turtleneck wool tee shirt with navy wool overalls—overall Choi’s fall 2016 collection was a wonderful evolution and projection of where General Idea is going. Standouts in the collection were black wool oversized coat with graphic and black wool oversized knit turtleneck, camel alpaca oversized coat, ivory wool long bomber jacket with navy tape detail and ivory wool knit turtleneck, and grey leather jacket with graphic.

—William S. Gooch

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