BEAUTY: Clothing--Thom Browne

Thom Browne closed New York Fashion Week with a spectacular, theatrical performance showcasing his Fall-Winter '24-'25 men's and women's collection. He took inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe's iconic poem "The Raven" and sent models out with black talon nails, black feathered hairpieces, and garments featuring ravens and of course the word "Nevermore." During the show, the Poe poem was read in its entirety by actress Carrie Coon who plays Bertha Russell on HBO Max's "The Gilded Age." Her reading should go down in history as the definitive version...watch the video below (the streaming and pre-show lasts until 23:00 when the show gets underway) and listen to Coon's effective, escalating emotion that leads to a chilling state of utter madness, while taking in the staging and set of a snow-covered field populated with bare, gnarled trees. And the clothing? Perfection.

https://www.thombrowne.com

BEAUTY: Clothing--Misc. New York Fashion Week

Well, it finally happened! CFDA, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, launched a stand alone men's Fashion Week in New York. I am sure they were inspired by the success story across the pond at London Collections: Men, so this past week saw Spring and Summer collections from some top designers in the United States...a few of them, I confess, are new to me which is exactly the purpose of having a break out men's event like this: to promote menswear.

Here are some highlights from the shows of the first ever New York Fashion Week: Men's.

Opening Ceremony's Carol Lim and Humberto Leon started their fashion retail space in Manhattan in 2002. Their cache grew until they were appointed, as a team, Creative Directors of Kenzo. And for this showing at New York Fashion Week: Men's, the pair created for their original label some wonderful wide legged trousers and shorts. We saw this silhouette on many runways in many collections in Milan and Paris last month. And it is going to replace the skinny trouser...

I love the focus Robert Geller put on the waist with cummerbund-like pieces made of what looks like cable knit sweaters. But other iterations with cords resemble obi sashes for kimonos. It reminds me greatly of what Haider Ackermann did last month in Paris, seen here.

Engineered Garments, founded in 1999 by Japanese designer Daiki Suzuki, is dedicated to a kind of quirky expression of workwear. Recalling the work of another Japanese designer, Junya Watanabe, this Spring Summer '16 collection from Engineered Garments seems like an homage to railroad engineers and their pin striped smocks and aprons. But of particular note is the choice of mature models. Well done, EG!

And finally, regular readers know I love unique shoes. And these exotic, tropical slippers from Michael Bastian feature prints of banana leaves, woven wicker, crocodile, and zebra--perfect for a summer in, say, Costa Rica!

https://www.openingceremony.us/
http://www.robertgeller-ny.com/
http://www.engineeredgarments.com/
http://michaelbastiannyc.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Alexandre Plokhov

If Rick Owens created sports wear, he might create a collection that looks a lot like Alexandre Plokhov's 2016 Spring Summer offering at New York Fashion Week.

Plokhov himself has a fascinating background. Born in Russia, he was trained as an interpreter and served in the Russian Strategic Missile Troops. Interested in design, he moved to the United States in the mid 1990s and worked as a pattern maker for Marc Jacobs before starting the men's clothing label Cloak in 2000. The label folded in 2007 and Plohkov joined Versace for six seasons. But then he launched his own line in 2011 under his own name. In addition to this line, he is also now Creative Director at Helmut Lang--he's a busy man.

He tends toward pared down, minimalist, gothic/architectural forms in black, white, or neutrals. But this collection saw him delve into actual color: red and olive! To account for the sudden change in paradigm, Plokhov said he read the novel THE MONGOLIAD, which is set in an alternate world during the time of the Mongol invasion of Europe where warring clans are marked out by the colors they wear. His fascinating collection feels savage and aggressive in a kind of futuristic way, if that makes any sense.

http://alexandre-plokhov.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Duckie Brown

Steven Cox and Daniel Silver started their men's fashion line Duckie Brown in 2001 and I guess they have just not been on my radar in all that time. But here they are at the very first ever New York Fashion Week for men, showing a collection to rival anything one would see in Milan or Paris.

Apparently taking the "jeans and tee shirt" idea as a springboard for their Spring Summer '16 collection, the design duo sprung quite far from their original brief, ending up with tee shirts and anoraks made of sheer organza and oversized and cinched "jeans" of loose flowing silk charmeuse. I am impressed with the nonchalant androgyny I usually only imagine coming from European designers.

http://www.duckiebrown.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Michael Kors

For his Spring Summer '16 collection at New York Fashion Week, celebrity designer Michael Kors created a superbly relaxed collection that surely must feel like wearing pajamas to the beach side. I am such a sucker for stripes like these...I want to spend the whole summer like this, especially in that first awning-striped suit!

http://www.michaelkors.com/