Front Row — Page 67

David Hart Spring 2015

September 5, 2014 by admin 3 Comments

David Hart looked to Palm Springs, natural landscapes and the modernist architecture of Alexander Neutra, Frey Wexler, and Lautner for inspiration for his spring 2015 collection. Though Hart has only had his namesake collection a few seasons, his penchant for classic American sportswear combined with sartorial craftsmanship is key to his aesthetic. And that point of view is front and foremost in this outing.

With color palettes that range from succulent green to electric blue to pistachio to dusty pink, this collection is aimed to the male consumer that is not afraid of bold color. And Hart’s bold color predilection is right on target with his Palm Springs inspiration and Julius Shulman’s color photography of prints and patterns.

Hart has also managed to evoke a 1950s Palm Springs resort feel to this collection without making the collection seem dated or too vintage while still maintaining his inspired point of view. There is craft in finding that delicate balance. This collection could have easily become an homage to 1950s Palm Springs. But, it is not; the collection is fresh, current and has market appeal.

There were not breakout menswear silhouettes in this collection or innovative uses of new textiles in this spring collection. Instead, David Hart is continuing to do what he does best, presenting classic men’s sportswear in a way that is fashion forward and appealing to the average male consumer.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Standouts in this collection were Hart’s suit in dusty pink with all over yucca print cotton dress shirt, knit merino wool argyle polo in navy with sand Irish linen Bermuda shorts and tuxedo jacket in Italian silk jacquard, tuxedo trousers in black mohair, cotton pique tuxedo shirt, and atomic print cotton bowtie.

—William S. Gooch

Lucio Castro Spring 2015

September 5, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Lucio Castro references cinematic beach scenes from 1970s foreign cinema in this spring 2015 collection. (Think Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice (1971).) Mix this reference in with “Soviet summers” in the beach towns of Odessa and Sopot and Castro’s Argentinian roots and you have a dynamic hodgepodge and which to create a collection.

Unfortunately, this interesting assemblage of motifs missed the mark in this outing. Though there were separates—especially the shorts and jackets—that could be mixed and matched with garments from other menswear collections, Castro sometimes failed to bring all these references into a cohesive point of view. And the macramé-like belts, which added a folksy quality to the clothes, need to be eliminated.

What does work in this collection is the easy, relaxed vibe of the clothes. Still, the collection had a bit of junior men’s feel to it. And though this collection bordered on a junior menswear resort presentation, there were pieces that could be worn in less temperate spring climates.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Standouts in the collection was Castro’s mélange green Boris cardigan, green reverse stripe shirt, and cream-quilted knit shorts, navy Mac jacket with polka-dot lining, bright blue free plaid shirt, navy and black-stripe textured shorts, and green suede jacket, white concession tee with olive Donnie shorts.

—William S. Gooch

J. Lindeberg Spring 2015

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For spring 2015 J. Lindeberg looked to rock n’ roll silhouettes of the late 1960s. This inspiration is a carryover from last season, and true to form creative director Jessy Heuvelink continued to find a way to make this point of view fresh, current and invigorating. Entitled “Biotopia” Heuvelink infused florals, prints and 3-D embellishments while maintaining the collections nod to 60s rocker style.

Though the brand over the years has become known for collections that have high consumer appeal, this spring collection’s continuation of very familiar silhouettes—tight pencil suit pants and narrow jackets— Heuvelink did take some risks, mostly in the fabrications and mixing of a variety of influences.

Where this collection excels is in Heuvelink’s marrying of different street and rocker styles from the 60s with a mix of color and print fabrications without loosing its modern point of view. Though at times the collection may seem like an homage to the Fab Four or rock n’ roll bands like the Rolling Stones, The Turtles, and Jim Morrison and the Doors—there is also a slight nod to the early rock bands of 70s in this collection with hints of the Ramones and Jefferson Airship—this collection is far more than that. The chicness and elegance distilled through Heuvelink’s kaleidoscope of influences and fabric combinations should solidly places this collection in the constellation of male fashionisto’s spring 2015 faves.

Heuvelink elevates this spring outing from a 60’s rock band tribute by pairing patterns and fabrications with silhouettes that were never put together during that era. Zebra-stripped tribal jackets with mesh tees and skinny trousers, bomber sleeveless jacket with a grey jumpsuit, and a suede grey short trench with white jeans were never seem in the tumultuous Sixties. Still, the collection is slick, sophisticated, well-thought out and consumer friendly.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Standouts in this outing is Heuvelink’s zebra-stripped tribal jacket with skinny trousers and mesh tee, sleeveless grey bomber with grey jumpsuit, and hand-pained floral leather jacket.

—William S. Gooch

Carlos Campos Spring 2015

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Last fall/winter season New York Fashion Week (NYFW) tried something a little different. For the past few seasons, the menswear presence during NYFW has seen a significant reduction in the amount of menswear designers that present during the spring/season runway/presentation season.

With the most prominent menswear designers presenting in London, Milan, and Paris in late June and menswear market weeks following directly afterwards, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for menswear designers to show their spring/summer collection in New York City in early September. Most of the decisions around the menswear collections have been made two months prior to NYFW. That said; Y-3, John Varvatos, and recently Michael Bastian, as well as many other menswear designers no longer show in NYC.

With corporate sponsor Cadillac, last February NYFW looked to minimize the cyphering off of menswear designers. And it seems to be taking effect. For spring 2015, 10 menswear designers—sponsored by Cadillac—showed at Industria Superstudio the day before the official start of NYFW.

Carlos Campos was one of those designers. For spring/summer 2015 Carlos Campos looked to athletic active wear as expressed to graphic elements and bold colors. Taking a nod from artist Javier Abarca, in this collection Campos has evolved his man from an interesting the fashion guy who had a deep penchant for updated sportswear looks to a man who is chic, sophisticated and on trend without abandoning his love of garments at that facilitate comfort and ease of movement.

Where in previous collections Campos would stay mostly with neutrals, for spring 2015 there were bold dashes of color throughout the entire collections. And the graphic elements in this collection that went beyond mere embellishment really added that wow factor that was sometimes missing from some of Campos’ previous outings.

Image courtesy of Ernest Green

Dressing his guy at every jointure of his day in not new for Campos. However, in this collection, Campos raising the bar in refinement and fashion-forward sensibility, demonstrating that his guy is not only sporty, but also has a strong sense of style.

—William S. Gooch

Gents Spring 2015

September 5, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Fisticuffs anyone? Whether you want to box or love the manly sport of Fisticuffs, Gents’ CEO Josh Reed looked to the macho sport for inspiration for the brands spring 2015 collection. Reed also infused the collection with Formula I race car references expressed in the clean lines and traditional racecar color palettes.

“Color plays a huge part for us this season and each tone has a meaning behind it. This season’s color ways represent positivity, masculine energy, and conveys strength and courage; it truly goes hand-in-hand with our inspiration,” details Reed.

Since Gents launched in 2012, Josh Reed has focused the lifestyle brand on a high quality product and a fashionable design aesthetic. This season, however, Reed is pushing Gents to embrace masculine motifs. “Whereas fall 2014 was focused on the brand’s expansion, spring 2015 is more thematic and hones in on the high quality product we’re known to make.” Explains Reed.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Gents’ color palette this season ranged from the warm tones of blue and red to transitional undertones of grey, navy, black, and white. And though the collection centered on active/athletic wear as daywear; perhaps, the very wearable garments needed some more interesting design elements. Retail value is important to any collection, particularly menswear line; still, fashionable male consumers are looking for garments that go beyond the tried and true. And to this respect, Gents fell a little flat.

—William S. Gooch

Bespoken Spring 2015

September 5, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

Bespoken’s creative directors Lian and Sammy Fayed play up the idea that less is more in their spring 2015 collection. They posit the point of view that the male consumer wants fashionable, easy, relaxed clothes that fit into their everyday lives. In that respect, the Fayeds are correct. Still, menswear staples or clothes that men can wear at every jointure of their day still needs to have some element of a wow factor. And in this collection, the wow moments were few and far between.

Though were some pieces that were eye catching, Bespoken’s color-blocked ocean blue and navy jacket, and grey print suit, most of the somber looks in this collection fail to register. One thing that can be said about this collection is that the tailoring and fit is spot on.

It is difficult to come up with attention-grabbing collections every season, and interesting, innovative silhouettes are hard to come by. Still, the American mal consumer—though slow to evolve his fashion quotient—wants more that a nice jacket and fitted slacks. That is not to say there is a little retail viability in this season’s outing; there is. However, a little more splash of color and adventure would have done this collection a lot of good.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Better luck next time, guys!!

—William S. Gooch

W.R.K. Spring 2015

September 5, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

W.R.K. looks to occupations that produce strong personalities for inspiration. For spring 2015, the brand focused on Formula I racecar driving with British champion James Hunt as their point man. The British race colors of vibrant green and blue dominant in this collection, as well as fire-retardant fabrics, and racer-inspired silhouettes.

Creative director Matteo Gottardi uses lots of layering in this collection, rendering some of the looks in this outing more attuned to pre-spring or climates that don’t warm up until mid-May. Still, overall this spring collection can be embraced by range of male consumers who are looking for stylish, comfortable clothes with a patina or fashion-forward sensibility.

The name of the game for Gottardi in this collection was the embellishments and details. Gottardi employed reinforced seams and articulated sleeves that can be found in racecar drivers uniforms, but also serve swell for the consumer looking detailed craftsmanship.

The stretchable fabrics in this collection facilitate mobility and ease of movement; while racing flags, garage oil stains, tiremarks and all things racecar inspired the prints. And though there are a lot of neutrals in this collection, the pops of color expressed in vibrant hues of blue and green elevated this collection from what could have been a somber distillation on color.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Though there were no breakout silhouettes and fabric combinations in this spring collection, Gottardi has created some garments that will appeal to a wide range of male consumers. Innovative textile combinations and silhouettes aside, clothes still have to have retail value, and with this collection Gottardi has positioned W.R.K. for spring 2015 market appeal.

—William S. Gooch

Missoni Resort 2015

June 28, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Since 1958 Missoni has been recognized globally for its colorful knitwear and prints. And for its 2015 Resort collection, the global brand keeps knitwear as its focus but seen through the kaleidoscopic lens of modular interpretations of abstract compositions the evoke the artwork of Lichenstein’s Pop Art, Bridget Riley’s Op Art, and the work of Frank Stella.

This collection centers on finding that delicate balance of combining, contrasting and overlaying textures, patterns, prints and solid colors. And that delicate balance is beautifully evident in a collection the infuses geometric micro- and macro-elements and abstract prints in bright hues juxtaposed with black or white resulting in a variety of spectacular optical effects such as polychrome pointillé bands, and vibrant graphic motifs of stripes, fret patterns and exaggerated zigzags.

What also stands out in this resort collection is the many ways separates can be combined that expresses the consumer’s personal style and mood. Like great works of art the lively prints can be paired with the bold, monochromatic colors. In true Missoni fashion exaggerated zigzag patterns are matched with digital prints. And where is some other brands this seemingly random pairing would seem out of control or too busy, with Missoni it is par for the course and always a fresh way at looking at color and graphic patterns.

Images courtesy of CM Media PR

The color palette is this outing ranges from combinations of amber, aquamarine, purple and aubergine; emerald, periwinkle, orange and fuchsia; geranium red, powder pink and lemon yellow. And these bold colors interact and contrast with stark black borders or by black or white backgrounds.

—William S. Gooch

Ellery Resort 2015

June 24, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

For its 2015 collection, Ellery looked to suburban swimming pools for inspiration. In seasons past, this Australian-based brand has established itself as a fashion brand that has an affinity for manipulating volume and silhouette; this collection was more directed toward streamlined construction.

Though there are some pieces that demonstrates creative director Kym Ellery’s masterful approach to scale and shape, artfully evidenced in exaggerated Dolman-like sleeves, empire-waisted tops that flare out, and voluminous skirts, Ellery wisely keeps this collection focused on pieces that are more consumer friendly while still maintaining the brand’s signature look. This resort collection also bears witness to Kym Ellery’s ability to rework the brand’s signature silhouettes into a sophisticated mélange that mixes opulence with modernism.

Wrapped up in the suburban swimming pool inspiration is a nod to David Hockney’s swimming pool series. These references are evidenced in an eclectic collage of aquatic prints with An abstract painted ripple print anchors the collection in soft peach-pink whilst the simpler yet bold print in black and vanilla echo Hockney’s infamous brushstrokes.

Images courtesy of CM Media PR

This 2015 resort collection is not necessarily destination prone. However, the lack of locale specificity facilitates this collection transcending seasons and having appeal to a wider demographic.

The color palette is this collection has a monochromatic base highlighted with rich aubergine, muted blues, soft peach and splashes of vibrant yellow.

—William S. Gooch

Christian Siriano Resort 2015

June 11, 2014 by admin 4 Comments

Bold color, digital prints, asymmetrical cuts, color blocking, and 60s-influences are trends that are front and center in Christian Siriano’s Resort 2015 collection. Some of these trends have managed to hang around for several seasons, while others have faded from the minds of the conscientious shopper. In this collection, Siriano breathes new life into several of these continuing trends.

Color has never been as bold as in Siriano’s Resort 2015 collection. “Christian’s inspiration for this collection was based on Charleston, South Carolina artist Teil Duncan. He loves her work and was really bowled over by the bold colors and pastels. Since his fall 2014 collection was rather dark, for resort Christian decided to bring bold, bright color to his work. Christian was also recently in Tokyo, so that inspired the collection which you can see in the origami effect and silhouette of some of the pieces,” details Patrick Jones, Vice President of Communications for AgentryPR.

The combination of bold color and origami-based silhouettes, as well as some 60s influences has produced a resort collection that is fresh, dynamic, fashion-forward and very consumer friendly. Since Project Runway, Siriano has learned how to cull his fashion-forward, edgy approach to design into collections that are consumer friendly without losing his signature design aesthetic. And this collection, Sirirano dresses his woman for every jointure of her resort day. From daytime wear to clothing for cool evenings to a night out on the town, even to a resort season red carpet event or premiere, Siriano has his customer dressed for almost every occasion.

Siriano also employs lots of modern art techniques in this collection. From pointillism to the wide brush strokes and splattered paint seen in abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, Siriano has created a mélange of silhouettes, fabrications and influences that renders this collection fashion as wearable art.

Images courtesy of AgentryPR

And the craftsmanship in this outing is absolutely sublime. From eveningwear pieces of Siriano’s oversized palm print delicately woven together with organza to cascasding light taffeta skirts with stripped bandeau tops, Siriano is providing modern-day luxury with almost couture craftsmanship to his resort customer.

Pow and wow moments aside, in this second resort outing Siriano has zeroed in on what his customer wants for resort and he is giving her a wide range of design and dress options. Resort as wearable art has never been this encompassing and breathtaking.

—William S. Gooch