Front Row — Page 56

Parke and Ronen Spring 2016

July 15, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

“Let the sun shine, let the sunshine in, the sun shine in.” For spring 2016, the design duo of Parke and Ronen not only let the sun’s rays in, they also allowed the sun’s enervating rays bless a collection that was light, at times floral, effervescent and highly accessible.

Sunshine and lollipops aside, this “Age of Aquarius” collection harkened back to the more frolicky, whimsical side of the flower child era. No peace signs, no Black Panther fists, no nuclear disarmament symbols. This was all sexual revolution, love, and pass the peace pipe.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

And as expected, Parke and Ronen always employ male model eye candy. However, this was far from the focus of this collection as it has been in some previous outings. Though the show ended with the models in briefs, this typical denouement was more icing on the cake than the perspective of this collection.

There were no innovative male silhouettes or groundbreaking textile fabrications, but with Parke and Ronen, there never really is. Most of the clothes found in this collection could probably be hunted down in some well-equipped vintage shops. Include the Birkenstocks and you have a “Hair” peace pipe, ashram party!!

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Still, Parke and Ronen were successful in rendering up that late 60s, early 70s hippie vibe without created a collection that look too dated and dusty. And where some collections this season stayed away from bright colors, concentrating their color palettes in neutrals or a muted color spectrum, Parke and Ronen’s spring 2016 collection was a dissertation in how to match disparate color combinations without the garments looking like a miasma of crazy colors thrown on a wall.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Standout looks in this collection were Parke and Ronen’s tank top in Idlewild Army Tricot with loungeshort in light grey heather cotton French terry, tank top in orange multi-stripe cotton/lycra rib knit with trouser in blue paisley stretch cotton sateen, tank top in blue and white stripe cotton jersey with trouser in dark blue bandana print cotton chambray, and ombre jean in white and lapis.

—William S. Gooch

Asaf Ganot Spring 2016

July 15, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

“I love Brazil, I want to be Brazilian. I am jealous of their attitude,” exclaims Asaf Ganot. Well, that in a nutshell explains Ganot’s penchant for all things Brazilian. And that infatuation with Brazil is aptly expressed in his men’s spring 2016 collection.

“Brazil is all about mixtures; mixes in culture, climate, food, races, people, every thing, and those mixes bounces off of each other. You will find those mixes in this collection. You will find a lot of color blocking in this collection, but I mix a lot of nappas with suedes and different textures that gives the collection a refreshing approach. I am very dark, so I like fall/winter dark palettes, but referencing Brazil brought levity to this spring collection,” detailed Ganot.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Not only was the cultural smorgasbord of Brazil expressed in Ganot’s choice of fabrication and color palette, but also in his choice of models. From Nordic supermodels Sebastian Suave and Tobias Sorenson to black supermodels Salieu Jalloh and Henry Watkins to Pacific Islander supermodel Paolo Roldan, Ganot’s expansive inclusive stance reflected all the ethnic types found in Brazil.

Ganot is a master when it comes to combining fabrications. In this outing Ganot successfully mixes soft neoprene with denim, suede with nappa, and leather with suede details. And true to form, Ganot has managed to inject a messy, rough edge, deconstructed approach into a collection that is otherwise slick and streamlined.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

“All the fabrics I use are made in Italy. The denim jumpsuit [in this collection] is a Brazilian print and instead of doing it so basic, I ended up tailoring it, so it more a bunker jumpsuit … “I also love the messiness of raw edges. You can see in some of the jackets there is a paper yarn in the edging that facilitates the crinkled, messiness that I adore and gives the collection of feel of luxury,” explains Ganot.

That said; with Ganot each menswear collection is focused primarily on the outerwear, and in this outing his jackets in particular. Though there is a range of styles expressed in his jackets, the overwhelming theme is the hip guy from the 1980s.

Though this collection is minimally subtle, the elaborate artisanal details elevates the clothing to appeal to the jet setting guy who is strives for luxurious simplicity. “My guy is the affluent man who is active and always traveling. He is a very Daniel Craig kind of guy who can be impeccably dressed when he needs to be and casually dressed out of choice or necessity. This collection is for him.”

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Standout looks in the collection are Ganot’s white leather racer jacket with grey suede details, white nappa leather biker jacket with charcoal suede lapel, ink blue cool tuxedo with black leather trim, beige/black croc-embossed leather biker jacket, and black leather laser-cut moto jacket with black leather laser-cut shorts.

—William S. Gooch

Duckie Brown Spring 2016

July 15, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Fashion Editor icon Diana Vreeland believed that the fashion industry should predict and produce what the market wants even before consumers know they want it. A wonderful concept, if it can be put into practice. Unfortunately, with the corporatization of the fashion industry more often consumers are left with pedestrian repeats of what they already in their wardrobes rather than fashion-forward next garments.

Duckie Brown’s approach to fashion has always been outré with creative directors Stephen Cox and Daniel Silver bravely marching to the beat of their own drum. This spring 2016 collection was no exception.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

From the cheers in the audience after the show Cox and Silver obviously have a loyal fan base. That said; in this particular outing, though fashion forward, many of the pieces in this collection were far from wearable and would possibly appeal only to a small niche menswear consumer base.

Though there were some beautiful diaphanous men’s shirts, or should I say blouses, in the collection, the fashion-forward projection was way outside of what even, perhaps, Vreeland would predict fits the projected design palette of the fashionable male consumer. The organza shirts were very beautiful and I am sure there is a male consumer for this particular type of aesthetic, but the oversized trousers just looked lost on the very slender male models with many of them tripping over the length of the trousers. Still, menswear designers like Cox and Silver with a oeuvre for the unusual are so important to the menswear market. And though in this particular outing, the collection was uneven and barely wearable, Cox and Silver should not lose heart and continue on their design trajectory.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Standout looks in the collection were the design duo’s silk half neck hoody, black cap sleeve jacket with black trousers, and navy satin chiffon Harrington jacket.

—William S. Gooch

Concept Korea: Ordinary People Spring 2016

July 15, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

For his men’s spring 2016 inspiration Ordinary People creative director Jang hyeong cheol looked to sporty classics reimagined through the lens of contemporary fashion. This “Active Maestro” sporty reflection on classic men’s suits seeks to combine the two themes of classicism and the sporty lifestyle that the contemporary male consumer now leads.

Jang heyong cheol has taken the typical classic suit and given this silhouette more volume, encompassing more ease of movement and comfort. This new roomier, restrained volume silhouette is often paired with loose tee shirts and cuffed short pants.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Interestingly, many menswear designers this season incorporated lounge wear into their more sportier or active wear themed collections which was expressed in roomier long overcoats and blousy pants made of diaphanous fabrics or long oversized tee shirts in sheer fabrics—seen in the collections of Fingers Crossed and Duckie Brown. This loungewear as active wear trend sometimes was also supported by playful prints and colors—as seen in Ricardo Seco’s collection.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

To date Ordinary People is the only menswear collection this season that has gotten the loungewear as active wear correct. Jang hyeong cheol take on this new trend is consumer friendly and looks like an appropriate wearable daywear look. By marrying his loungewear as active wear with sneakers and sport sandals combined with his restrained volume classic suits, Jang hyeong has created a collection that is fresh, fashion forward and is a new projection on where contemporary menswear is heading.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

The color palette in this spring 2016 collection ranges from midnight blue, navy blue, smoke blue to white, cold, sage green, red and carmine. Fabrications include summer wool, silk faille, cotton, silk cady, denim, modal, and light tweed.

Standout looks in the collection include Jang heyong cheol’s oversized striped tee shirts in navy blue and white with sequined embellished stripes, smoke blue striped bomber jacket with red shorts, and smoke blue pinstriped lounge coat with matching shorts.

—William S. Gooch

Ricardo Seco Spring 2016

July 15, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ricardo Seco/fashionreverie.com

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

The “Luck” collection is inspired by “ a man that knows how to play the game of life, who trusts in who he is and where he is going without forgetting where he comes from. He enjoys all and knows his luck and essence. He knows how to share and take advantage of his opportunities,” confides Ricardo Seco.

That said; Seco’s spring 2016 collection was certainly playful with hints of adolescent whimsy, bordering on frivolity. Seco infused Mexican pop culture references and the Spanish card game “La Loteria,” a leftover influence from Spanish colonization days. Seco chose four cards that represent the summer spirit. That representation of the summer spirit pops up in the prints in this collection.

Image courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

In this presentation, Seco sought to combine his Mexican cultural heritage with cutting edge design fused with whimsy and a lightness of being. Though many of the garments in the collection seemed like a modern take on male pajamas, there were some clothes in this collection with retail value.

Where Seco was most successful in this collection is when he mixed in more somber neutral colors with the playful pastels. Some of his black bomber jackets were a hit, as well as some of the more solid colored men’s shorts. Still, Seco’s emphasis on playtime overshadowed some of his more serious looks.

Image courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Not every menswear collection has to speak to a mass market, and Seco’s spring 2016 collection is for that male consumer who is not afraid to take risks and wants to have fun when dressing up, letting the inner child shine through. May the child in all of us be indulged!!

—William S. Gooch

Eponymous Spring 2016

July 14, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

New York Fashion Week: Men’s Day sponsored by Cadillac continued what had started three seasons ago by appearing as a part of New York Fashion: Men’s (NYFWM) in its inaugural season. Although this 4-day week of men’s fashion put together by CFDA now incorporates the menswear collection seen at Superindustria Studio, the 12 menswear brands that show at Superindustria are set a part from the CFDA–sponsored shows at Skylight Modern.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

That said; several of the menswear designers that showed at Superindustria tried to stay with traditional menswear sportswear looks that are very accessible and appealing to the male consumer. In this lay the problem with some of the collections. In a market where there is an oversaturation of milquetoast brands that can be cheaply purchased at megastores, attempting to complete on that level may be a futile attempt for menswear brands that are not household names.

Thankfully, Eponymous was one of Superindustria’s cadres of menswear brands that went in the other direction. For observation of Eponymous’ spring 2016 collection it is obvious that designer Hvrminn has a tailoring background.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Though Hvrminn used mostly traditional menswear fabrics and was influenced by a 1930s/40s Chicago gangster reference there was something fresh and modern about this collection. Hvrminn’s incorporation of army camouflage print into a great parka and double-breasted suit was brilliant. These kinds of unique touches gave this collection vitality and freshness that though grounded in traditional male silhouettes was outside of the box of milquetoast American sportswear exhibited by some others spring 2016 menswear collections.

—William S. Gooch

Kenneth Ning Spring 2016

July 14, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Of all the collections shown at Industria Superstudio on the first day of New York Fashion Week: Men’s, Kenneth Ning’s spring 2016, perhaps, had the most impact. Particularly, for editors, stylists, and industry professionals that are looking for that fashion-forward next that has some retail appeal.

Inspired by the bustling medina of faraway desert lands that evokes colorful spices and patterned tapestries, Ning sought to find the balance between the frenetic chaos that is a part of exotic outdoors bazaars and the tranquility of the arabesque architecture of Arabian Nights. These influences were infused with vibrant, youthful projections reminiscent of 80s British youth culture paired with the clean, streamlined tailoring of modern sportswear.

Ning brilliantly incorporated floral jacquards and lace that referenced ornate mandalas and other North African motifs. All these different influences helped to forward Ning’s unique combination of graphic elements extracted from traditional Arab motifs mixed and matched with innovative techniques and an expansion of male silhouettes.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

While his mélange of influences was a welcome change from some of the pedestrian looks seen from other menswear designers, Ning might want to rethink his lacy looks which were overwrought and bordered on costume fare. Still, this spring 2016 collection was a welcome change and infused a much needed injection of fashion-forward next into this inaugural season of New York Fashion Week: Men’s.

Standout looks were Ning’s black and white long jacquard jackets with slender slacks and his green and floral floral print shirts with wide-legged pants.

—William S. Gooch

Matiere Spring 2016

July 14, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Matiere, meaning material or subject matter in French is the focal point for the contemporary menswear line, Matiere, Known for their seamless integration of form, function, and comfort fused into a modern aesthetic, founder Scot Shandalove and creative director Jake Zeitlin embraced duality as seen through the use of unexpected materials on modern silhouettes for their spring 2016 collection.

The design pair employed hues of bleached and true indigo buttressed by off-white, dusted grey and city black. Fabrications ranged from dense cotton slub, brushed cashmere, and 3-D striped French terrycloth. “This collection features some heavy textures that maintain an effortless and clean finish. The color palette, which starts off with a creamy off-white and builds to a true indigo is reminiscent of the ocean’s raw beauty,” explained Shandalove.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

One of the main focuses of this spring 2016 collection was outerwear that was expressed in reworked bomber jackets and anoraks providing seasonal layering options. Additional garment choices were baseball shirts, gusseted pants and Henley tank tops. “Finding a balance is key,” exclaims Zeitlin. “We’re creating a collection that is fashion forward, yet always approachable and wearable.”

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Though this collection is approachable and certainly wearable, it does lack those unique, stand-up-and-notice garments that guarantees to attract consumers. In a market that is oversaturated with menswear staple items, collections need to go beyond approachability and wearable clothes. Remember, JC Penny’s, Kohls, and Old Navy is just down the street!!

—William S. Gooch

PLAC Spring 2016

July 14, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Sometimes, it is all in the styling. Good styling can give a rather pedestrian collection the right amount of sass and vibration, elevating it out of the doldrums of basic staple items into a collection that has freshness, energy and style.

This is what’s true of PLAC’s spring 2016 collection. There are no breakthrough silhouettes or innovative fabrications in this collection. What does ring true is that the separates are paired in a way that gives this rather minimalist approach to menswear some retail viability.

Active wear as day and eveningwear for both sexes is all the rage. Still, it is difficult to make sweatpants and oversized workout gear exciting. The design team at PLAC has accomplished a very difficult task, making basic jeans, moto jackets, tee shirts and menswear items appealing; perhaps, even to the fashionisto guy.

Though this collection is heavy on a London street wear 1980s vibe—think the pop groups Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet, The Human League, and maybe even a little Duran Duran—this particular direction should not be alienating to current menswear shoppers. (Most of the male consumers who might be interested in this collection probably wouldn’t even know who those 80s pop groups are.)

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

That said; there is something fresh and energetic about PLAC’s spring 2016 outing. And the standouts are definitely their outerwear. Great trench, very nice black leather jacket, but how about a little color next season!!

—William S. Gooch

GARCIAVELEZ Spring 2016

July 14, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Carlos Garciavelez continues the journey of the cultural nomad who constantly searching for the synergy between architectural shape, form, structure and its many variations as it applies to the human body. While for fall 2015, Garciavelez found that relationship as it related to geometric shapes and global architectural design. However, for his spring 2016 collection, “Lucent Stasis,” Garciavelez detailed how the cultural nomad explored the relationship of light and its application, effects, configurations, and possible distortions as applied to the human body. Garciavelez’s evolved from four core ideas: reflecting, concealing, diffusing, and capturing the ephemeral qualities of light.

“I wanted to experiment with how to suspend the temporal quality of light within the garment,” explains Garciavelez. “ The challenge for me was to capture a finite quality of an incandescent source and how that relates to the human body.”

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

Influenced by the art installations of Dan Flavin’s fluorescent installations (1996) and Donald Judd’s 100 untitled works in mill aluminum (1982–1986), Garciavelez sought to incorporate the current trend of athletic wear as day and evening wear and combine this menswear direction with his concept of tailored menswear expressed through prisms of light and its possibilities.

Though Garciavelez did capture light through its varied prism and reflect that translucence in his garments—this was particularly evident in his trench coat, vest and other outerwear—the overall collections lacked any real spark. Many of the pieces in this collection, outside of the very interesting translucent gloss, could be found at most menswear retailers that are looking to satisfy the male consumer who has very simple taste and is just looking for spring/summer staple clothing.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green/fashionreverie.com

The highlight of this spring 2016 collection was the interesting ombre effect of some of the translucent colors and fabrications. Still, interesting fabric choices and color palettes are not enough to carry a collection. Better luck next time!!

—William S. Gooch