TAKE THIS. Voluminous jacket layered with white shirt and choker are nods to this fall’s greatest fashion hits (CDN PHOTO/MATT PINGKIAN)
THE UNDENIABLE ease of those geometric sweatshirts is epitomized in all of Neil Barrett designs: throw-them-on-and-go styles for the urban nomad, whipped up in gorgeous, top-shelf fabrications.
DRAWING THE LINES. Thom Brown plaid polo shirt (CDN PHOTO/MATT PINGKIAN)
To wit, a shirt in a stunner of plaid cotton—its provenance was in South Wales England—or washi paper knits with a cool, dry hand-feel, ideal for summer nights. Japan was fruitful not only for Barrett creatively, but commercially too since the brand’s inception; it’s continued to be his biggest market. The designer noted that Tokyo and New York have remarkably similar climates, and it’s easy to see laid-back guys (and girls, too?) on any continent going in for propositions like his baseball shirts, slouchy trousers, and touches of soft tailoring. He may have embraced the imaginary as his spring précis, but the appeal of this lineup for Fall 2016 (September, October,b November) is firmly rooted in the real world.
After a five-year employment at Gucci, Neil spoke to Miuccia Prada’s chief executive Patrizio Bertelli expressing a desire to launch his men’s line: eight months later, Prada Menswear was born. His tenure at the label was instrumental in building a capsule of minimal menswear that owned luxurious fabrics and the Italian craftsmanship supremacy with a futuristic approach to the modern man’s wardrobe. It still has the trace of his label, born in 1999 and launched on the runway in 2000 in Pitti Uomo, Florence.
THROUGH THE WINDOWS. Windowpane stripes by Neil Barret (CDN PHOTO/MATT PINGKIAN)
Meanwhile, somewhere between the sun-bleached haze of sand and surf and a place far less tangible and infinitely more cosmic lies the province of Thom Browne. This season the designer set his poet’s eye and beachy aesthetic combined with street style 2016. His fantasy doesn’t exist on this earth yet, but the clothes painted a clear picture. As the collection was crystallizing, Browne took a trip to Japan, where the fiery orange-red of Shinto temples sparked inspiration; guests at his recent presentation were treated to a thundering performance by drummers he stumbled upon in Washington Square Park.
They peeked out from whiskey-color Ugg boots and slippers, which the designer professed to have been wearing since he was a teenager, making this season’s partnership a natural fit; recall, too, that before they found notoriety as the de rigueur footwear of off-duty starlets in the early aught, Uggs were sported by Aussie surfers all the way back in the 70s.
Ever since, these designers have delivered innovative and distinctive designs, with acute attention to fabric development and fits. The hallmarks of their individual labels are a modern rendition of the timeless menswear staples, alongside stunning, streamlined styling for the 21st century. Masculine, ageless and progressive, their designs combine tediously-cut tailoring, accurate detailing and athletic elements, covering a wide spectrum of fits to cater to the diversity of international markets while maintaining the sharp silhouette for what they stand for.
