Menswear

A. Potts Fall 2025

February 11, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Can something wonderful come out of a depressed state? Absolutely, and A. Potts fall 2025 collection is a testament to that.

That said, yes, the fall 2025 collection is dark, and yes, somber. And perhaps this is the result of Aaron Potts reflection on the November presidential election and the explosive nature of our current administration. Still, this collection is another example of Aaron Potts unique ability to take simple silhouettes, silhouettes that are familiar, and remake and present those familiar silhouettes in an innovative way that has not been seen before.

This fall 2025 collection is heavy on black tones with some injection of grey camouflage patterns, grey tones with a minor injection of orange and white. Potts ingeniously references street culture, club culture, and genderless freedom.

Long an advocate of genderless fashion and garments that render freedom of movement, this collection works well for all gender expressions and promotes comfort and ease of movement. Interestingly, there are some references to the club culture of the 1980s, an era that was marked by individuality. (Think the hats worn by the 80s pop group The Thompson Twins.)

Like much of A. Potts design aesthetic, this fall 2025 collection is for a niche consumer, that consumer that wants to take a risk and be noticed. And a niche audience is who Potts wants to appeal to.

Keeping his fashion brand on a manageable level is very important to Aaron Potts. Having worked for larger brands and being exposed to the hustle and frantic work life that comes in big brands, Aaron Potts has decided to keep his fashion brand at a manageable level.

Images courtesy of Agentry PR

This fall 2025 collection stays true to Potts’ intention and provides garments that will continue to appeal to consumers that are attracted to the fusion of streetwear and genderless fashion. And though this collection came out of struggle, this collection proves that struggle can produce genius.

—William S. Gooch

Coofandy Spring 2025

September 9, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

If you haven’t heard of Coofandy, then you are missing great men’s looks. Known for its simplicity in silhouette and its classic style, since 2015 the brand has designed modern men essentials for daily use. Coofandy creates modern wardrobe basics, as well as dress shirts, suits, and tuxedos.

For the brand’s spring 2025 collection, Coofandy sought to continue the brand’s design aesthetic of simple modern classics. Coofandy believes that its market appeal is for that male consumer who wants “the quiet strength of classic style-effortless, enduring, and forever relevant.”

Coofandy’s spring 2025 collection “Floral Moments” was co-designed with Isabella Cortese. In a complex world, minimalism is flourishing. The designer captures three blooming moments during the spring-summer journey: early morning mist, golden sunset, and serene midnight. By blending minimalism with natural flowers, they craft a visual aesthetic and a philosophy of exploring nature and the inner self.

Over the past nine years, since its inception, Coofandy has established a very strong online presence. And with the simplicity of the brand’s modern classic, Coofandy is setting a standard for male consumers looking to easily and efficiently find garments that meet their daily needs.

Coofandy’s spring 2025 runway show was highlighted by having supermodel Sean O’Pry as one of the top models in the show. O’Pry not only opened and closed the show, but also proved that after 17-year career, he still looks great and continues to be relevant.

Images courtesy of Coofandy

With this spring 2025, Coofandy is well on its way of establishing themselves as a lifestyle brand; perhaps, in the manner of Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. Hmm, Coofandy just might accomplish that!!

—William S. Gooch

Custo Barcelona Spring 2025

September 9, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

We. Art. Custo Always. These four words appeared on several pieces in Custo Barcelona’s spring 2025 collection, specifically focusing on the punctuation of we and art. As the popular slang term “period,” where people actually end a sentence saying period to emphasize their previously mentioned statement, Custo Barcelona made its audiences think about what “we” and “art” could mean.

There is a longstanding debate on whether fashion is art, but Custo Barcelona is one of the brands trying to prove that fashion is art, in fact, wearable art. Is it impossible for something to exist simultaneously in the worlds of art and commerce? One tee shirt and one hoodie featured a graphic print of a psychedelic dressed boho chic type, reminiscent of a young Rachel Zoe, riding a bird as she sat among hot air balloons. One of the hot air balloons featured the phrase “We. Art. Custo. Airways.” Hmm, you decide.

Rachel Zoe at the height of her celebrity stylist career in the ‘00s when she starred on her eponymous reality series “The Rachel Zoe Project” on Bravo was one of the first public figures to popularize the boho chic. Simultaneously, the Olsen twins, Mary Kate and Ashley, were also purveyors of the boho chic trend in the ‘00s, as the two favored free-spirited pieces, like billowy shawls and chunky necklaces.

With the resurgence of the boho chic trend, and celebrities including Bella Hadid, Zoe Kravitz, and Emily Ratakjowksi, Custo Barcelona is given an opportunity to shine reintroducing and repurposing the boho chic trend. The boho chic look has also long had an audience at music festivals and Coachella, and many of the looks in the collection were Coachella-worthy.

Notable pieces that could be seen at next summer’s music festivals included a yellow halter neckline glitter cocktail dress with a flowing tulle cape, a green leopard print dress with billowing sleeves, and a white fishnet dress adorned with paillettes and a green tiered truffle trim hem. Trippy graphic prints which include a buffalo with rainbow dreadlocks to a monkey riding a bicycle in a field of corn also added an acid trip art aesthetic to the colorful collection.

Images courtesy of Kendam

With the timing of spring and the music festival season kicking off in April 2025, if Custo Barcelona is aiming for sales, this collection was a smart consumer move. If there’s one thing the music festival crowd also loves to do, it’s shop for new concert outfits.

—Kristopher Fraser

Dur Doux Spring 2025

September 8, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

The mother daughter duo, Najla and Cynthia Burt, of Dur Doux scored another hit with their ‘Visages des Femmes’ spring 2025 collection. Though this collection focused mostly on garments that were of the resort variety, the looks were bold, colorful with a wide consumer appeal.

This vibrant collection contained rich, striking colorful palettes of rich tangerine, canary yellow, chartreuse, goldenrod, and natural greens. Add to these tropical tones refined watercolor portraits and you have a collection that will make consumers yearn for lazy exotic locations with tropical breezes and sun-kissed beaches.

Najla and Cynthia Burt also introduced their men’s ‘Casa Cotiere’ capsule collection during this spring 2025 outing. Created for that free-spirited male consumer, this capsule collection contained relaxed linen shirts, short-sleeve button-ups, linen-cotton pants, hand-washable shorts, and swim trunks. ‘Casa Cotiere’ dresses a man at every jointure of his day while he is enjoying balmy breezes and tropical nights.

Najla and Cynthia Burt chose to present their spring 2025 collection outside in narrow confines of Walker Street, in the Soho district of Manhattan. While not exactly a sun-kissed beach, this venue was a much-needed change from some of the stale venues that have now become too much of a part of New York Fashion Week (NYFW).

And having the male and female models strut down narrow Walker Street side by side gave a nostalgic look back to the golden age of runway shows of the 1970s and 1980s. (Who cannot forget Pat Cleveland strutting down the runway arm in arm with Tony Spinelli.)

What also stands out about this collection is the mother/daughter duo’s knowledge of what consumers want to wear, while incorporating the current trends of diaphanous fabrics, sequins, and sheer looks. That said, this collection should have a lot of retail value with the evening garments that standouts of the collection.

Images courtesy of Seventh House PR

Bravo Dur Doux!!

William S. Gooch

Junya Watanabe Men’s Spring 2025

July 1, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

Out of the myriad innovations, trends, and new styles that are birthed from Paris Fashion Week, there’s always one brand that finds a way to stand out and make a new lane, statement, and aesthetics for itself, and that’s Junya Watanabe.

With this collection called ‘Dress Up Denim,’ Junya’s vision was crystal clear with the concept and looks for this collection which boasts a rebellious nature through the seams, patchworks, and designs. This collection also showcases innovation in both streetwear and luxury looks, with its punk patchwork denim jeans to its classy-punk aesthetics in the suits and blazers.

Junya Watanabe has elevated his design aesthetic to a new level of innovation with this new look, showing the extent to which he takes patchwork and denim. This collection also shows Junya’s unique spin on punk culture and silhouette, displaying unique cuts and designs of patchwork on tuxedos, and denim-on-denim experimental pieces. “I have used denim and patchwork a lot in my past collections, but this time I tried to go further in my exploration to find new discoveries,” explained Watanabe.

Although Junya has done this type of style before, what stands out is this collection’s embellishments on a classy luxurious look, complimenting the rugged and punk look. And Junya channeled this look to an enhanced level with the models, having unique hairstyles, looks, and accessories matching their looks.

Images courtesy of hypebeast.com

It doesn’t just stop at the luxury side, Junya also shows his streetwear aesthetic with punk-metal graphic tees paired with the signature patchwork denim jeans, providing a simplistic yet unique style. Junya’s collection was like a child’s drawing on a canvas, letting out their most ambitious thoughts.

Lauren Pierre-Louis

Hermes Men’s Spring 2025

June 27, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

In one of fashion’s most prestigious weeks where many brands debut innovations and trends, Hermes stood out with its redefinition of elegance in its new men’s collection.

For this new collection, Hermes embraces a nautical aesthetic accompanied by its signature style. In this new menswear outing you can almost feel the ocean breeze when wearing any pieces from this collection.

This new collection creates a perfect balance between quiet luxury and unique approaches while giving a nautical element to it. This collection is the type you’d want to have in your wardrobe when you’re on vacation with an oceanic breeze hitting your back.

This collection showcased a myriad of blueish tones such as turquoise, navy, and ocean blue, emulating the aquatic movement of the ocean. The blue color pattern is perfectly paired with the buvard pink, matcha, lychee, biscuit, and chocolate dialogue with ecru, mist, and white accents, giving the collection a breath of fresh air with nautical colors and tones.

This menswear collection also provides a perfect mix of casual and loungewear while staying deeply rooted in what some fashion insiders now call accessible luxury. This design aesthetic is ideal for those menswear consumers who want to remain elegant in style without screaming LUXURY!

Images courtesy of vogue.com

The equestrian heritage is still vibrant in this collection as shown in the tyles of the equestrian drawings on some of the shirts, complimented with the simplistic color scheme of the outfits. With almost two centuries of offering fresh takes and innovation in fashion, it’s an understatement to say that Hermes has done it again. This new collection allows you to flow with a new style in aquatic grace.

Lauren Pierre-Louis

AKNVAS Fall 2024

February 12, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

For this New York Fashion Week (NYFW), AKNVAS has again shown a testament to artistic inspiration and timeless elegance. From tactile knitwear infused with playful Pom Pom details, honoring Richard Artschwager’s enigmatic art, to faux fur pieces mirroring the ethereal charm of John Currin’s paintings, even the finest detail of the threads tells a story of creativity and culture. Under the vision of Christian Juul Nielsen, AKNVAS unveiled a compelling portrayal inspired by a recent journey to Rome.

AKNVAS founder, Christian Jull Neilsen, says this collection represents “A voyage between La Galleria Nazionale in Rome and John Currin’s emotional portraits.”

Nielsen’s vision extends further to the vibrant atmosphere of the Chelsea galleries in New York City, drawing inspiration from the emotive portraits by John Currin. Adding another layer of architectural homage, column shapes emerge throughout the collection, mirroring the grandeur of Roman columns. These structural elements adorn garments, offering a sculptural dimension that echoes the iconic architecture of the ancient city. Textures include stone-washed denim flowers inspired by Hellenistic statues, gold details echoing the palazzos of Rome, and new faux furs that bring the portraits of John Currin to life. This artistic reference adds depth to the collection, juxtaposing the historical richness of Rome with contemporary notions of femininity and desire.

Textures are always key to the soul of AKNVAS, this season the textures are experienced in elongated cable knit pencil skirts, wool pon pons, and fringe decorating knit styles on both oversized sweaters and body-con rib dresses. This collection seamlessly incorporates minimal tailoring in pinstripe fabrics and stone-washed denim, echoing the AKNVAS signature of clean lines and subtle details. On top of that, 3D flowers bloom in stone-washed denim and crochet, capturing the essence of an enchanted Roman garden.

Images courtesy of AKNVAS

Finally, draped sequin dresses pay tribute to Rome and Currin’s artistry, embodying the grandeur of Roman architecture and the emotive brushstrokes of Currin’s masterpieces. These concepts evoke a meaningful narrative of beauty, craftsmanship, and timeless appeal.

Lauren Pierre Louis

Libertine Fall 2024

February 10, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

Day One of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) kicked off with a bang! Libertine, a luxury ready- to-wear brand unveiled their fall 2024 collections for men and women. With lines stretching down the block full of industry professionals and influencers trying to get into the Starrett-Lehigh, Fashion Reverie expected an exciting show!!

Libertine creative designer Johnson Hartig did not disappoint. The collection was filled with luxurious details. The runway was awash in sequins, colorful flowers, black and white checkered pants, and veiled headbands. Also incorporated into this collection is one of Fashion Reverie’s favorites, the embellishment trend. Vibrant colors, lively prints and crystal embroidery reigned supreme.

Hartig drew inspiration, through deep hypnosis sessions, from the lives of creatives Jean Cocteau, Mary Quant, Peggy Guggenheim, and Lord Bryon emerged! The designer says, “Peggy Guggenheim emerged three times, suggesting a strong kinship between them while expressing a desire to wear Libertine and jazz it up a bit.”

Embellished blazers and graphic prints are what the brand is known for, and the DNA aesthetic of Libertine allows consumers to go from daytime to nighttime in the same look! And there are lots of buttons on garments in this fall 2024 as is true to the brand DNA of Libertine. However, this season the decorative buttons have a historical reference. These buttons heavily adorn coats and sunglasses, and in some cases, reference the iconic Peggy Guggenheim who always wore signature sunglasses.

In addition to historically referenced buttons, Hartig took lines from Byron’s 1816 poem “Darkness,” placing those lines on black on ivory and ivory on black suits and coats. These prints, so to speak, also contain images of Hartig, friends, dogs and the personal belongings of the Libertine staff.

Images courtesy of Libertine

True to form this fall 2024 collection is an assemblage of several reference points, but it all miraculously comes to gather in a cohesiveness that is unique to Hartig. Bravo Johnson!!

Renessta Olds

Givenchy Men’s Fall 2024

January 23, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

Like many fashion brands this season, Givenchy looks to redefine and reinvent masculinity. Givenchy Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli wants to reinterpret masculine silhouettes as a tool in dismantling machoism and toxic masculinity. And his fall 2024 men’s collection reflects this sentiment.

In previous collections Piccioli was heavily influenced by youth culture, resulting in a more casual and ease of movement collection. That point of view was evident in the brand’s fall 2024 collection with Piccioli looking to reinvent the traditional men’s suit.

Instead of the ‘Brooks Brother-like’ suit in neutral tones with a skinny tie and white dress shirt, Piccioli redefined men’s suiting by taking streetwear/urban looks—hoodies, denim, oversized pants, and tracksuits—and creating those urban-inspired garments in luxury, soft fabrics, with chiffon linings and more feminine, rounded shapes. And Piccioli’s perspective on a softer masculinity works!!

This fall 2024 men’s collection proves that Piccioli has his fingers on the pulse of what young consumers want, even if some consumers don’t know that they want to go in this direction. No longer do young male consumers seek to affirm their masculine swagger with looks that are overtly masculine. As demographics shift and change, and cultures adapt and redefine themselves, so have male consumers.

And while some menswear brands and collections are struggling to keep up with this expansion of masculinity, other brands, like Givenchy, are already ahead of the curve. Piccioli sensitivity to changing perceptions is evidenced in a much more global approach to masculinity, taking this fall 2024 collection out of the limitations of how the Western world experience a menswear aesthetic.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Though this collection is heavy on neutral tones—dark blues, black, greys, and white—there are some pops of color. And Piccioli keeps the clean, sleek lines that his design aesthetic is known for while pushing this collection into the next iteration of menswear. His customers will be very pleased.

—William S. Gooch

Balmain Men’s Fall 2024

January 23, 2024 by admin Leave a Comment

Change is inevitable, it is a constant that is very dependable. And no industry reflects more than the fashion industry.

Still, change in the fashion industry usually appears in the form of new models, fashion brands that go in and out of style, or design silhouettes or styles that are no longer trending. Rarely does change in the fashion industry reflect a change in demographics or a beauty evolution.

Olivier Rousteing’s fall 2024 men’s collection for Balmain reflects that type of readjustment. And the change or readjustment in fashion is already here, not projection toward what future holds.

The most obvious expression of this change is Rousteing’s expansion of masculinity for the Balmain male consumer. Rousteing has always provided his male customer with beaded leather jackets, bold color, binary silhouettes, and glitz and glam. Consider his fall 2017 collection inspired by Queen with a medley of Queen’s greatest hits as the backdrop for the fall 2017 runway show.

In this outing, Rousteing expands his penchant for reimagining masculinity as seen through the lens of modernity and what some adventurous male consumers want to present in the world. That male consumer does not have a retiring presence or seeks to blend in. This consumer is bold, risk-taking, and extremely confident.

For that type of male consumer, this loud—but not ostentatious—collection more than fits the prescription. Yet, Rousteing, following the directive of iconic fashion editor Diana Vreeland, had a lot of next in this collection. In fact, at times, there is more next than now. Still, we need that right now in fashion. Collections that push the proverbial fashion envelope more than making consumers comfortable with their ideas of how they want to dress, giving them something to aim for.

What also stands out in this fall 2024 collection is how Rousteing realized several African themes in this outing. In the middle of the runway show there was a homage to Congo’s sartorial cult, the sapeurs.

There was also a print collaboration with Accra based Prince Gyasi. The Prince Gyasi image was screen printed on clothing, making for an interesting mix of pop art and expanded masculine silhouettes. Additionally, Rousteing used Cameroonian Ibby Njoya collaborative art on suitcases and other travel luggage.

Still, these infusions were not the only things that pushed this fall 2024 collection into the stratosphere. There was huge African and Asian model presence in this runway show. While in the past five years we have experienced a much larger model of color presence on runways and in fashion campaigns, Rousteing pushed that presence even further.

Images courtesy of Daniele Oberrauch/gorunway.com

Add to this expanded model of color experience, Rousteing employed wonderful high-waisted pants and padded shoulders married with an explosions color. And with Naomi Campbell closing the show in a padded beige cashmere coat with a surrealist belt whose fastening was two hands clasped to hold a golden bouquet of golden flowers, we assured that change and a new era is already here!!

—William S. Gooch