Report from New York Men’s Day at New York Fashion Week Men’s

by Emily Burnette

Step into the cool air conditioning to Skylight Studios and follow the dimly lit hallway

Once in the lounge, check out the Amazon Dash pop-up shop, refuel with snacks, and charge your iPhone. Bloggers, stylists and fashionistas alike line the sofas with laptops and cameras, waiting for the shows to start.

Casual Bold

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Platform 3 is home to Landlord SS17’s presentation, in a neon SoHo hipster-meets-street style. With the DJ crouched down in the middle of the floor, mixing loud punkish sounds, people step cautiously around while models are spaced out all around the outer edges of the walls.

Young boy-like models straight out of Supreme, and off the streets of NYC, are donned in fitted separates, Air Maxes, and vibrant contrasting belts.

The collection says it best: “It takes inspiration from the artworks of artist Isa Genzken, who often draws upon everyday material culture, including design, consumer goods, architecture and urban environments.”

Adventurous color blocking, chillaxed styling, and fun fabrics made Landlord SS17 a winner.

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Lots of love,

FWO

Report from New York Men’s Day at New York Fashion Week Men’s

Come on, stay a while, take a step into paradise. Live music filled the sunlit room while the models, poised in the center, posed for fashion-goers.

Max ‘n Chester’s paradise vision was light, airy, easy-to-wear. Hues of navy, sands, and baby blue graced the male and female models. Lightweight suiting, tunics, and layering pieces were seen throughout the collection. Max ‘n Chester uses only the best craftsmanship and honesty of materials, often sourced from Japan where designer Peter Trainor had the opportunity to work.

We’ll be playing and having fun

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Lots of love,

FWO

Report from New York Men’s Day at New York Fashion Week Men’s

With a rich, desert color palette, the mustard-yellow backdrop brings the entire collection together beautifully, with a big, imaginary, beautiful suede bow, à la Roy Halston Frowick.

Even the distant cousin of Studio 54’s “Man on the Moon” made an appearance, as a neon doorway, hung between the clusters of models.

The simple, though brilliant staging looked like a class photo of a detention hall’s standout rebels, around 1976, in South London.

… like a class photo of a detention hall’s standout rebels.

With this theme in mind, pile fabrics were naturally in order, like velvet and velour, though non-traditional ones made an appearance as well, like vinyl, in the shape of shorts and as piping on the heavier car coat.

Rebel Chic
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I’ve grown to appreciate how designers are carefully presenting their interpretation of the casualization element — and here it was well executed by the intentional raw edges of the pant legs.

Stylist Ian Bradley added a touch I had experienced for the first time, of dramatic and unusual layering. One model bore just one shirtsleeve, the other tucked into his pant, and a signature print tank was exposed. We’re taking this one straight to the streets readers … be ready!

Stylist Ian Bradley created dramatic and unusual layering.

One of my favorite elements of the entire delivery was designer Nicholas Elliott’s pairing of warm-weather fabrics (such as cottons) with cold-weather fabrics (velvets and wools), challenging the way we ordinarily marry certain fabrics to seasons. This could possibly be a consideration of the shifting seasons in the last few years, and the need for more uncommon combinations. This could also be a move toward a “wear-now” strategy. Other great details were femme embroidery, calling to memory androgyny; very of-the-moment.

This could also be a move toward a “wear-now” strategy.

My favorite look of the entire presentation was #12: a purple velour tank with signature cross embroidery and a pair of reinterpreted striped yellow basketball shorts. The colors just come together so meticulously, and in harmony, and I feel as though it embodies the target customer as simply as possible.

In regard to footwear, K Swiss might just swing a comeback with the new awareness of footwear. At this show in particular, the kicks were presented in rich suedes, in their full glory.

Another round of nonchalant moods was served at N-p-Elliott, as though our dear rebels had not a care for what happens to them. The indifference grows. The only disappointment was the inability of the audience to see the back of the clothes, but the designer made up for it in many, many places.

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Lots of love,

FWO

Report from New York Men’s Day at New York Fashion Week Men’s

 
The energy at New York Men’s Day — the men’s week kickoff event, tucked between Hudson Street and street style photogs galore — swept me away. I feel strongly that it has so much to do with how “young” this fashion week is.

The vibe is refreshing, as everyone is excited and happy to come together to experience what American designers have to contribute to the world of design.

Everyone is excited and happy to come together to experience what American designers have to contribute.

Here’s a preview to some of the designers’ creations.

Uri Minkoff
 

For the Uri Minkoff presentation, the designer cast interpretive dancers as his models, with strong thighs and larger-than-life personalities. Minkoff staged a performance that went beyond the expectation of a NYFWM presentation … and seemed to exceed the grasp of the show-goers. The actual performances were very obscure, with swinging microphones and trust falls from cinder blocks using angular movements. As curious as it was, it was hard to tell who was a part of the show, and all the activity made the clothes get a little lost.

The collection overall had a very narrow color palette, which made it focused and clean. It had a range of blues, usually grounded by a gray, and the suiting was consistent throughout the show, with the occasional hot pant to add a spring vibe. The clean, crisp lines showcase Minkoff’s talent for focused aesthetics, making me wish there was less of a performance and more of a presentation to highlight this talent and clear vision.

One additional curious detail in Minkoff’s presentation was the silent touch of activewear or casualization in menswear. Despite the importance of well-fitted suits in this collection, he added a little length to the knitted jackets, and thumbholes to buttress this attempt. It shows that Minkoff wanted to maintain the integrity of menswear, while adapting to the modern trend toward casualization.

Krammer + Stoudt
 
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To kick it off, Krammer + Stoudt showed a very clean and cautiously beautiful collection. It implied a grand awareness of the season, which can’t be said about all of the presentations from the second half of Men’s Day.

A touch of the sea and vacationing was in the air, with trousers coming in flax and linens, and elegantly paired with nautical stripes in varying directions. The styling was easy, even playful, and beach-ready.

The less obvious details — such as a standard rope standing-in as a belt, socks with sandals, and kangaroo pockets — are what sold me to the focus and consistency; these details showed that the clothes were there to complement a very specific lifestyle. It also succeeded in presenting a range of looks for the same person — a day at the beach in shorts and a guayabera (nod to Cuba), as well as a three-piece linen suit. The looks were kept from feeling too airy and light with the assistance of metal rings, necklaces, and tasteful tree-leaf hats.

Another brilliant move, which was also used in other presentations, was the presence of lady models donning men’s looks. This proves that fashion is not yet over the gender-bending and gender fluidity stage. Maybe it’s here to stay.

Overall, there were silver and metal accents in every show at Men’s Day, from accessories as large, loose chains, to grommets in shoes, and even the toiletry bags at Minkoff. Men’s week has been proven so far to be a far more friendly environment than women’s, which showed me there’s a little more fun to be had in designing and presenting menswear.

Men’s week has been proven so far to be a far more friendly environment than women’s.

 
Lots of love,

FWO