In his spring 2019 collection, David Hart proves that everything old is new again. Looking to the menswear from the early 1970s, David Hart created a collection that was heavily influenced by that era of men’s fashion seen through a modern lens of what would appeal to American male consumers.
Hart’s love affair with early 70s was made evident in wider pant legs, large jacket lapels, and sport coats that used more luxurious, brocaded fabrications. Perhaps, Hart was influenced by some of the menswear trends he saw during men’s fashion weeks in London, Milan, and Paris where some menswear designer opted out of the street wear craze in favor of softer tailoring using more luxurious fabrics.
Hart, has always been known for his suiting with many of his collections being inspired by references to great men’s suiting styles of the 20th Century—the Miami nightlife scene of the late 50s, the Havana 60s nightclub scene, and the 50s Beatnik scene which was influenced by French new wave cinema. That said; this current alternative European menswear scene with a concentration on softer tailoring fits perfectly into Hart’s design point of view.
Thinking about what men were wearing during the Watergate crisis, Hart relied heavily on patterned suits with wide lapels, colorful knit polo shirts, and suede boots in this outing. And though this collection did somewhat appear as an homage to the early 70s suiting styles, Hart did modernize this collection by adding in colored patterns and bold color combinations that even the most fashionable man of the early 70s would not dare sport.
With masculine norms relaxing, Hart can find an audience for the bold patterns and color palettes used in this collection. However, modern male consumers don’t often like to look back at fashion, unless a retrospective style assemblage has something new to say. Unfortunately, Hart’s spring 2019 collection, though bold in its color choices, does not speak a new language to modern male consumers. And that is the one drawback to this collection.
Images courtesy of David Hart/Agentry PR
Still, a lot of can said for Hart’s fine tailoring technique and his love affair with suiting, no matter the era. In that respect, this collection is a winner!!—William S. Gooch
Nick Graham always puts on a good show. Whether it is a runway show that pays homage to tropical birds, hot Havana nights, Apollo 13 or a host of other reference points, Nick Graham every season finds a way to show his signature sporty suits in the best light, as well as entertain the audience.
Nick Graham has stayed true to his American customer and his niche of sporty men’s suits. He has always stayed loyal to NYFWM. Still, Graham recognizes that his penchant for great sports suiting is not enough, particularly, for younger male consumers. And he did something about that this season.
Graham gave references to astronauts, hippy flower children as expressed in his Woodstock reference, and laid-back, late 1960s Los Angeles style. And true to form, Nick Graham made all these 1969 references somehow work for his design aesthetic.
DYNE creative director Christopher Bevans looked to the future and the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest for inspiration for his spring 2019 collection. “Paying homage to the beautiful yet rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, DYNE’s connection is not only to the modern technological world but also to the natural world in which we all must coexist,” said Creative Director Christopher Bevans.
Unlike some previous collections, with the right marketing, this spring 2019 collection could appeal to a much wider demographic. And though this collection is solidly placed in the Generation X and millennial market, there were some pieces in this collection that could appeal to male consumers that are a bit older; particularly several outerwear garments.
DNA is the building blocks of our genetic makeup. The fundamental element of who we become. For spring 2019, Carlos Campos returned to his brand DNA to display the growth and strength of his eponymous line.
For this season, Campos stuck with a rigid, yet vibrant, four-color scheme of cream, Amarillo yellow, pale sienna, and deep navy blue. Building from his fall 2018 collection, Campos exercised his design expertise by emphasizing geometric color blocking accented by stripes and piping details. He also stayed within a narrow range of fabrications, opting to focus on sateen woven shirts and gabardine wool coats and trousers.
Looking back to previous decades as inspiration for new fashion collections is common practice for fashion brands/designers/creative directors. A few years back punk fashion was all the rage and no brand did it better that year than Versace. (Though it was an updated look at punk seen through the lens of sensuality and hot lava passion.) And last season it was all about a revitalized look at 1980s street style. We are talking about an updated look at tracksuits, classic high top sneakers, and round-the-way girl glam. Virgil Abloh of Off White set the standard for this 80s glance back.
Missoni in their men’s spring 2019 conjured up images or motor cross racing across cultures as was evidenced in 1979 Paris-Dakar rally were competitors raced across the European land mass and the North African and West African cultures. This season’s color palettes move from verdant fields to golden deserts as reflections of alternating landscapes and memories, while the overall collection reveals a worn and weathered patina. And we all know no one mixes color palettes better than Missioni.
Layered silhouettes reflect a contrast of extreme proportions and an amalgamation of the Missoni Man’s transformative journey. Softly tailored double-breasted suits in lightweight loom-knit fabrics give way to slightly more disheveled, put-together looks that take on a more ethnic vibe and styling; mixing and matching elongated intimo pieces with oversized shawl-collar cardigans, polos and V-necks, field jackets and nylon pullovers, cutaway collar or pajama shirts and relaxed linen trousers or cargo shorts.
