Menswear

Love, Kelly by Kelly Butts-Spirito Fall 2023

September 14, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Every fashion week, the industry tries to give a portrayal of what it believes is “what’s next” in high-end, futuristic fashion and luxury streetwear. But too often, they don’t provide the story behind the clothing itself. In just two years, Kelly Butts-Spirito, in his debut at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), gave everyone who was fortunate to spectate firsthand a great representation of forward-thinking and futuristic fashion,as well as his story and what brought him there.

Butts-Spirito’s collections are from core moments and awakenings in his life. The Love, Kelly by Kelly Butts-Spirito runway show took attendees on a journey via a documentary film that helped share the true story behind each collection while also helping everyone connect and understand his creative vision and direction.

Butts-Spirito NYFW show came on the heels of an impressive festival he put on in Burlington, VT, last month. Despite the time crunch, Butts-Spirito and his designer and partner, Milo Rubin, were able to make 43 pieces in 40 days. “The garments were a mix of everything, from French cotton terry and an 80/20 cotton/poly blend for hoodies to a bunch of different types of denim; the only piece with stretch denim was the denim hoodie. We had a duck canvas jacket and leather patches on suede pants. We also incorporated reworked jeans into the looks, often adding flares on the inside or outside of the leg,” explained Butts-Spirito.

Butts-Spirito understands that creating a brand image through social media and any other innovative ideas, like when you meshed a documentary to fit into this recent runway show is a current innovative way to bring attention to your brand. “I think the most important thing in fashion design is perspective and feeling. I think the best designers have an interesting perspective on the world and they share that through dope clothing. The clothing that I think has the best design are the ones that make you feel something impactful when you wear it and look at it,” details Butts-Spirito.

This debut collection takes consumers through a cinematic journey of Butts-Spirito’s life, its complications, and everything in between. “The colors were intentional to match the themes of the emotions I was going through at the time. For the first collection, the feeling was very tan and nude color-based because the heartbreak emotion to me felt very naked. The film barely had any color correction on it as well because of how I wanted it to feel, which was raw. The second collection was all black and white because it represented going from darkness to light. The third collection is very colorful because it represents childhood, my home and the rebirth of me coming back to my hometown and redefining myself.”

Images courtesy of Owen Hammel

What can we expect next from Butts-Spirito’s brand, Love Kelly? “The fashion world can expect the unexpected from my brand. I want my brand to always continue to push boundaries while bringing new and unexpected shows and clothing collections to the world. A place where fans of the brand can always feel surprised by what I create next. I plan on bringing a winter collection to life and will be releasing it during the winter months.”

With bated breath, we can hardly wait. Fashion world, watch out!!

—Ryan Salfino

Albright College Fall 2023

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The Albright College fashion now, now a regular feature during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) featured six graduates or students from the Pennsylvania college. The show presented what the future of fashion will look like. After being educated at the acclaimed college, the design students were ready to show their talent during NYFW.

Each of the young creatives held their own with unique designs and striking details. With each runway look, it was easy to see the hours of hard work that were put into the designs. The distinct looks of each designer made it easy to place the pieces into separate collections with an understanding of the story the designer was trying to share. By the end of the show, there was little doubt that the different styles and tastes of the up-and-coming young women and men dazzled the minds of their audience. Read a bit more about each designer below:

Alfredo Diaz

After graduating in 2016, Alfredo Diaz has now worked with industry insiders such as Anna Sui and Dzines Tex. You can see the impact that these companies had on his collection, as well as influences from his Dominican Republic heritage. These influences led to the colorful prints and details that gave the collection a tropical feeling. With a spotlight on floral patterns and loose fits that focus on comfort as well as fashion, the collection was a traveler’s dream. When Diaz creates his label, it will be sure to dominate the luxury resort-wear market.

Susan Benitez

Like something out of Sofia Coppola’s rock n’ roll biopic “Marie Antoinette,” the models flaunted garments made from jacquard and feathers. Using classic lines and delicate detailing, it was easy to see Benitez’s costuming background. After graduating in 2015, she went on to produce costumes for puppets that appeared on both Netflix and Apple TV, along with garments for special events.

Jasmin Burton

Using inspiration from iconic African American fashion designer Stephen Burrows of the ‘70s and an image of her grandmother in a yellow negligee, Burton created a collection filled with nostalgia. The opening two pieces were swimsuits in timeless cuts, with modern details. Think layered ruffles and color-blocked garments with trailing ties. As the collection continued, you could see the influence of past trends with modern takes continuing. Considering the resurgence of the love for the ‘70s after the release of Daisy Jones and the Six, we’re ecstatic to see Burton’s growth in the fashion industry and how she might influence this continuing trend.

Nicholas Kedge

Graduating in 2023, Nicholas Kedge made his fashion week debut last season and returned this year for what could only be called a grand finale. The garments hit every note with cutout details, asymmetrical elements, and cascading ruffles. Playing with this femininity, even for the menswear piece of the collection, Kedge proved himself to be a visionary who will easily capture the Gen Z market’s interest.

Victoria Aquino

With inspiration coming from Harajuku street fashion, couture runway shows, and experimental designs, Aquino brings a fantasy world to life. With draping details and asymmetrical designs as the centerfold of the collection and neutral colors in order to strike a balance, Aquino proves that everyday outfits should be fun.

All images courtesy of VERY New York

Zyaire Valentine

A senior at Albright College, Valentine’s creations look like they walked out of the new “Addams Family” show. This makes sense, given that his professors at Albright mentored him on costume construction and surface embellishments. This education was continuously brought to life on the runway through black hologram fabrics, striking textures, and extraordinary detailing. Netflix? We’d recommend adding a few pieces to Jenna Ortega’s next fitting!

—Sydney Yeager

A. Potts Spring 2024

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Fashion industry professionals have come to love Aaron Potts gender neutral fashion collections. Potts is perhaps the most formidable fashion designer in the gender-neutral niche.

That’s said, A. Potts’ spring 2024 collection is again gender neutral; however, this collection is more wearable with some garments solidly created for one gender or the other. With this spring 2024 collection Aaron proves that he is very adept at creating garments for either the masculine or feminine physique.

This spring 2024 collection was inspired by the intersectionality of fashion and urban nature. Dubbed URBANEARTH, this collection embraces nature as it would be found in an urban landscape and the concept of organic growth.

With a color palette this is mostly monochromatic and centers on strong neutral colors with some bold oranges, dark mustards, with a dash of metallic gold thrown in, this collection reflects a chilled-out spring walk through an urban terrain. This collection also has a splash of floral prints which conjure up an image of florals pushing up through the urban concrete.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Standout looks in this collection, and there are several, includes the brand’s denim ensemble with wide legs and tuxedo-inspired jacket, the gold lame ensemble with kimono-like jacket and wide-legged shorts, navy leaf print shirt tied at the waist with wide-legged white pants, and the mesh and fringe black off-the-shoulder dress.

With this spring 2024 collection, Aaron Potts is priming his collections for a wider appeal. We hope that the fashion community and consumers will stand up and take notice. We have!!

William S. Gooch

Libertine Spring 2024

September 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

If you closely examine Libertine, one thing stands out above all other design elements. It’s mostly all about fabrics and textile choices.

Season after season, Libertine creative director Johnson Hartwig has made the brand stand out and excel based on his fabric choices. This season is no exception.

While in Morocco Hartig discovered some antique fabric books and was delighted in the polka-dotted fabrics and confetti fabrics from the 1930s and 40s he found in these books. Those fabric choices turned out to be the source of inspiration for this spring 2024 collection.

Accompanied by some style-appropriate spring tweeds, confetti-inspired and polka-dotted fabrics conjured images and styles you would find in nautical styles of films of the 1940s. And the ceramic tile-patterns reflect souvenirs one would garnish on an exotic vacation.

True to form, the brand has become an expert in tailoring and embellishment. Where some brands embellishments sometimes appear as something that was added on at the last minute, Johnson’s technical acumen produces garments with embellishments appearing as an almost natural augment of the garment.

Case in point, is the suit inspired by a photograph of Salvador Dali embellished with crystal-eating utensils. Also, to be considered is this season’s fringe and flower-embellished jacket.

Though inspiration for this collection are fabrics from the 1930s and 40s, Johnson manages to keep the collection fresh and current. And this collection with crazy patchwork of prints and patterns works just as well on male consumers and a female demographics.

Though there were some looks in this collection that are outside of what some consumers might ass to their wardrobe—Libertine has long been a fashion brand for the fashion risk taker—there were several garments that would appeal to wide demographic. And unlike of collections of yore, this spring 2024 collection was one of brands more retail-friendly collections.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Bravo Johnson Hartwig. Keep up the good work!!

—William S. Gooch

Terry Singh Spring 2024

September 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

If you are not familiar with Terry Singh, you should be. Singh is giving American and international consumers a new way of looking a menswear. And that new way is pairing skirts with formal and informal wear.

A man in a skirt is not a new concept. Marc Jacobs has been the man skirt in his collections, and so has menswear superstar John Varvatos. Terry Singh is doing the same thing, but as the focus of the entire collection.

And that focus is the South Asian menswear skirt, the lungi or dhoti. The lungi and dhoti are traditional men’s skirt that can found as traditional wear in Indian. The lungi is a type of multicolored sarong, tied below the waist and can flow all the way to the ankles. The dhoti skirt is also a type of sarong but tied between the legs.

What Singh does so successfully is take these forms of South Asian traditional men’s skirts is take this aesthetic and mix it in with design menswear aesthetics from Scotland, Turkey and other countries married with a contemporary aesthetic.

For spring 2024 Singh was inspired by hockey jerseys and military uniforms, all seen through the lens of lungi and dhoti skirts. And with that inspiration Singh adds in tuxedo jackets, a streetwear aesthetic, and a new way of looking a red-carpet attire for men.

Where in the past men in skirts was almost a rebellious affront to traditional menswear. Boy George and the punk aesthetic of the late 1970s and 80s gave the proverbial bird flip to Savile Row’s men’s suiting by donning skirt. That is not the case with Terry Singh. Singh is proposing a masculine alternative to traditional by reintroducing the skirt as menswear. And does so brilliantly.

Images courtesy of Agentry PR

From casual streetwear to formal and red-carpet attire, Singh expertly created an expansive perspective on how the modern male consumer can add to his wardrobe. And menswear consumers are taking up the clarion call.

—William S. Gooch

INHERENT Fall 2023

February 14, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The fall 2023 season marks the debut of INHERENT during New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Though primarily a menswear brand, INHERENT creative director Taylor Draper did present some women’s look in this fall 2023 outing.

Inspired by classic English tailoring, New York streetwear, and Ivy League styles mixing them all in a manner that only Draper can, Draper created his own unique blend of timeless and modern fashion under the INHERENT moniker. This successful mix of styles and silhouettes demonstrated that the brand can hold its own in a New York sportswear market.

The collection was constructed from wool, cotton, and cashmere suitings, twills, plush corduroy, and shirtings, with a serious dose of butter soft knitwear that showed up draped in thought provoking ways to create a feeling of accessible avant-garde. His rich color palette of moss and forest green, chocolate brown, and midnight navy, with a few other colors added in for accents, creates a sense of warmth and comfort during the colder months. The range of styles and silhouettes ran the spectrum, from traditional blazers and trousers to contemporary streetwear inspired pieces, all crafted with the highest quality materials.

That said, if there was one drawback in this collection it would be the choice of male models. Though there were a few male models that were good choices for this New York debut, there were several models that seemed out of place and did not show the garments off well.

Choosing to go with models that were closely reflect the brand’s male consumer base is not a bad idea if those models understand how to present garments well. However, if they don’t—which was the case in this outing—the garments don’t have the ultimate impact. When it comes to the female models, the choices were excellent with the models—whether standard size or curvy—showing off the mostly masculine silhouettes well with sassy style and panache.

Images courtesy of VERY NY PR

In this debut collection, Draper aptly demonstrates that classy staples can be stylish and fashion-forward. Bravo INHERENT!!

—William S. Gooch

Atelier Cillian Fall 2023

February 12, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Two seasons ago New York Men’s Day (NYMD) returned after being sequestered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And though fashion industry professionals were excited about the return of NYMD, it has taken a few seasons for NYMD to regain its fashion traction, so to speak.

The fall 2023 has become the best NYMD season to date, post-COVID-19 pandemic, with fashion designers significantly upping the ante when it comes to creating menswear collections that are projecting toward the future. And that projection toward the future is a literal expansion of what masculinity is and what the modern man will have as a part of his wardrobe.

Atelier Cillian’s NYMD debut occurred for the fall 2022 season; however, this fall 2023 collection promises to put the brand on the menswear map perhaps more than any other brand presenting during NYMD. Creative director Stephan Mikhail has had other fashion collections in the past; however, this new reincarnation is perhaps his most complete and cohesive attempt.

Titled “Mallevs Maleficarvm,” Atelier Cillian’s latest collection aptly displays Mikhail’s fascination with unusual and innovative artifacts of times gone by. For his inspiration this season, Stephen Mikhail referenced Heinrich Kramer’s infamous 1486 treatise “Mallevs Maleficarvm” about witchcraft.

In this collection Mikhail demonstrates what was assumed in the Middle Ages to be the pagan elements of nature juxtaposed against the metallic purity of the Roman Catholic church. All this is evidenced in Mikhail utilization of metallic silvers, facsimiles of armor, and monochromatic color patterns, as well as well-tailored silky male blouses, and skin-tight trousers.

Stephen Mikhail has always been acknowledged for his now-and-next fashion, particularly when it comes to men’s fashion. So, the design perspective in this outing is no surprise. Still, Stephen Mikhail has accomplished something quite unique in this collection.

While many menswear designers are pushing for a inclusive and expansive design aesthetic that includes a more binary projection, most fall short in this respect, creating collections that most men would never purchase for their wardrobes. Many of the garments look like costumes from some science fiction project or a Broadway show or rock concert. Mikhail, with his fall 2023 collection, has achieved what so few menswear designers are able to achieve, creating menswear garments that contain both the now-and-next aesthetic combined with a binary approach to menswear that a lot of men would purchase.

Images courtesy of Agentry PR

Bravo Stephen!!

—William S. Gooch

Son Jung Wan Fall 2023

February 12, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Son Jung Wan has presented at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) for several seasons. And while her collections contain interesting looks, often with a disparate array of fabric combinations, her current collection is, perhaps, her most cohesive collection compared to previous collections.

When attending a Son Jung Wan show, you know you will experience garments that mix and weirdly match fabrics and textures that normally don’t combine well. Sometimes these combinations work, but for Son Jung Wan it often doesn’t work well. However, this season Song Jung Wan did not concentrate so heavily on the disparate fabric combinations, focusing more of her energies on the silhouettes and color combinations.

This particular focus makes this collection, perhaps, Son Jung Wan ‘s most successful collection. That said, Jon Jung Wan does not abandon her predilection was employing unusual fabric combination, but this season the pairings are much better.

Inspired by the culture of the 1990s, this fall collection contained a wide range of day looks and eveningwear from suits to cocktail dress gowns and menswear. The color palette ranged from lilac, apricot, and galactic cobalt to pale blue, and black and white.

Though the silhouettes in this collection were somewhat simple, the collection possessed a futuristic projection. And with this collection Son Jung Wan is possibly expanding her consumer base beyond those niche fashionista that want the unusual of that standout garment. This collection with its simple silhouettes and toned-down fabric combinations will have a wider consumer appeal.

As with many Son Jung Wan collections, the stars of the collection were the brand’s outerwear. That said, there were several evening cocktail looks and gowns that would appeal to an expanded demographic.

Images courtesy of Rodin Banica

Standout looks in this collection include the brand’s vivid orange over-coat styled with gold sequined shorts, galactic cobalt double-layered silk asymmetrical dress with pink three-quarter sleeves, men’s galactic cobalt blue padded jacket with matching trousers, and galactic cobalt padded coat with gunmetal chainmail gown.

—William S. Gooch

APOTTS Fall 2023

February 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

New York Men’s Day (NYMD) is the perfect place for APOTTS creative director Aaron Potts to showcase his men’s collection, even though Potts always includes several women’s looks in his collection. However, Potts collections are not gender specific, so having garments that work well on women fits perfectly into the brand’s DNA.

Perhaps, APOTTS is a glimpse into where fashion should be heading. A reflection of a world where the design aesthetic and the now and next of the collection stands out above gender specificity. That said, Aaron Potts has made this non-binary specificity one of the main points of view of his collections. And he performs that perspective beautifully.

The inspiration of this collection was Potts’ reflection of the fashion statement that most New Yorkers were making when he moved back to New York City from Paris in the mid-1990s. The daily uniform of New Yorkers during this time period was warrior black and grey. This fighting-the-elements and in-your-face emotions black and grey was worn with only a fierceness that New Yorkers can muster.

That said, with Potts’ fall 2023 collection, some of the fierceness and bravado has been replaced with hints of humor and wink-wink, as well as a bit fashion elegance. Though his collection was a serious fashion compendium of the merits of neutral tones, Potts did highlight his neutral tones with an injection of red.

Unlike previous collections, this collection contained more garments that were obviously designed specifically for women, Aaron Potts did not abandon his penchant for non-binary clothing. And as with other previous collections, Aaron uses his adeptness with volume to maximum effect.

Just because this collection continues to explore Potts’ penchant for volume, don’t expect Potts to bypass glamor and sexiness. Not at all. Potts has ingeniously found a way to find a way inject such the right amount of glamor and sexiness without centering sensuality in either the male or feminine camp.

What also stands out in this 2023 outing is Potts’ ability to combine ease of movement with a fashion-forward sensibility. With Potts ease of movement does not have to mean staid and commonplace. Potts proves that ease of movement and fashion sensibility can be compatible bedfellows.

Images courtesy of APOTTS

Standout looks in this fall 2023 collection include, but are not limited to, the brand’s black and white stripped wrap around top with asymmetrical skirt, black cargo skirt with hoodie midriff top, black leather and knit turtleneck with peplum skirt and extended crouch pants, and black leather men’s jumpsuit with cargo pockets.

—William S. Gooch

Frederick Anderson Spring 2023

September 13, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Frederick Anderson has always been associated with dressing the Upper Eastside female set. Anderson’s entrée into that sacrosanct set started when he was associated with former business partner Douglas Hannant, whose fashion brand is now defunct. Hannant even had a store in the Plaza Hotel that catered to that Upper Eastside woman who wanted garments that she could wear at her jointure of her day.

Since Anderson struck out on his own, he has continued to attempt to satisfy the fashion palette of that Upper Eastside fashionista. And he has some success with that kind of customer. However, times that are a changing. And that Upper Eastside customer is no longer the woman that Anderson once appealed to.

That said, Anderson still focuses his fashion collections on that Upper Eastside woman, yet with a more modern sensibility. And his spring 2023 collection was successful in that respect, well almost.

Do anyone that has experienced Anderson’s collection it is apparent that he is a master at knitwear. And his knitwear work is one of the elements of this collection that stands out the most because Anderson marries his knitwear with a modern sensibility and daring not seen from most knitwear designers. There is a definite in-your-face-sexiness with Anderson’s knitwear which elevated this element beyond the ladies who lunch set.

Anderson silky lounge and evening wear were the definite hits of this collection. Though several of those garments conjured up images of similar Halston collections from the 1970s, Anderson did manage to incorporate some of his own unique touches.

Many of the free-flowing garments masterfully enveloped the body, showing off curves and dipping to regions reserved for only the invited. Still, there were selections in this collection that would appeal to a more conservative consumer.

Anderson opened his show with Black Lives Matter and Gay Rights iconography and images. Bravo for those strong political statements. Still, how those political statements fit into this collection was unclear. This collection was more about how an updated Upper Eastside woman currently lives her life. And those political stances, though a reflection of Anderson’s political affiliations, don’t necessarily reflect his consumer.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Anderson’s evolution as a fashion designer has come to the fore in this spring 2023 collection. And there is an expectation that he will continue to grow and master his craft.

—William S. Gooch