With the conclusion of New York Men’s Fashion Week FW’17, takeaways of key trends are ready for grabs. There was a common theme of seeking safety and comfort in the nostalgia of 50s through 80s. The silhouettes were not outlandish but surprisingly practical with utilitarian details in outerwear and a marriage of business and sportswear was interesting thing to see as well.
Double Breasted Jackets
If you were thinking that the 80s resurgence was done and dusted in 2016, think again because if theshows had one thing in common, it was the reinvention of double-breasted jackets. A look that is synonymous with 80s era banker suits, designers like John Varvatos and Zachary Prell have transformed it to remove all the baggage and fuss of its yesteryears. While Joseph Abboud achieved this through closer set buttons, Varvatos took it one notch above by making the hitherto formal suit in soft velvet. Billy Reid made the silhouette light and breezy forgoing any signs of excessive padding.
Shades of Burgundy
The ability of burgundy to complement every colour paring and its imbuing mystery is notletting designersgive up this jewel tone. Childs showed a casual looking double-breasted burgundy suit; Uri Minkoff simplified it further with a single button suit in a deeper shade. Todd Snyder and Ovadia & Sons both offeredcomplete tracksuits in the same shade and while Snyder’s was spewing velvet comfort, Ovadia paired it with a camo print jacket for a stronger look. Theory used black and burgundy on awning stripes for a crisp coat and Zachary Prell made burgundy pullovers to compliment his predominantly blue collection.
Bomber Jackets are Staying
One of the major giveaways from the athleisure wave was the bomber jacket. Quintessentially American and military inspired, this jacket is still going strong with at least a couple of appearances on every runway. While last year’s bomber got jazzy with embellishments, 2017’s styles are much simpler and focus on the material and utility. John Elliot made sportswear bombers in multiple classic colours and Rochambeau chose a hot coral orange. Uri Minkoff’s black puffed version was styled to work wear perfection, Robert Geller’s oxblood variant was the epitome of understated cool.
Bright Power Coats
In contrast to the neutral colour palettes employed by most designers, overcoats seem to be the much-needed breath of fresh air. The length is not as long as previous seasons nevertheless, overcoats continue to take the centre stage whether with sound construction details or more prominently the unconventional colours.There were the more subtle statements like Billy Reid’s leather duster coat in tan or Theory’s minimal 3-button coat in deep military green. However, the real winners were Simon Miller’s yellow and Rochambeau’s muted orange overcoat.
Slogans and Messages
Taking a cue from the women’s spring collections and the ongoing protests in the country, it seemed like every designer had something to say this week. Keeping the words simple and somewhat arbitrary is their way of poking fun at the issues at hand. While Rochambeau is focussing on the basics with plain t-shirt saying ‘stay alive’, the more daring Thaddeus O’Neil reclaimed the ‘god save the queen’ poster with his own touch. Raf Simons did not shy away from claiming his love for NYC with the ‘I love you’ prints or the more honest ‘any way out of this’.
Comfort in Fur
Perhaps an offshoot of the 70s with some undertones of lavish comfort that we are all seeking, fur is definitely a trend to watch out for both on and off the runway. While most of the coats were mid to short length, there were plenty of long versions worn by the people attending these fashion weeks. Ovadia and Sons’ presented an animal print coat, Palmiers du Mal’s was more of a fur bomber in a reflective grey, and Patrick Ervell’s jacket was in tricolour patchwork. Joseph Abboud went a step ahead and lined his grey check overcoat with thick fur for a warm and business appropriate look.
Calm in Corduroy
If there is one theme common to all the shows, it was the level of comfort and calm most designers wanted to channel through the garments. This comes as no surprise for it is only natural to look for ease in clothing when there is increased insecurity in the social atmosphere. Orley and Simon Miller both presented corduroy trousers in cinnamon and seaweed green, Engineered Garments made a tobacco hued blazer and Ralph Lauren went full corduroy with a single-button grey suit paired with a T-shirt.
Tartan Checks or Plaid
This season was more about business formals than loud prints and graphics and its proof lies in the abundance of checks and pinstripes on the runway. What seems like another hit of nostalgia was the repetition of tartan checks everywhere from David Hart’s crisp formals to Palmiers du Mal’s politically driven runway. Orley made a stand out check suit giving full 70s vibe while Palmiers signalled comfort in a robe coat. Hart chose to keep things modern in a powder blue suit jacket and Miller delighted with a warm top shirt in grey.
Camel Tones
Perhaps a result of the neutral moods as well as the more diffident tone of the collections, camel was the colour on everyone’s mind. A colour that is as luxurious as it is versatile and looks great in the soft fabrics of the season, was spotted on majority of the catwalks in mostlyouterwear and a few trouser options. Childs and Dim Mak showed narrow fit trousers whereN.Hoolywood and John Elliot presented mid length coats in the same colour. Todd Snyder had a few camel pieces to pick from but the crop jacket in suede remains our favourite.
Trousers are Long and Wide
Another relaxed silhouette very common through quite a few collections was the extra-long and wide bottom wear. This play of proportions has been going on and the straight, boxy shape sustains its reign. Another trend that’s all about comfort and superfluity, brands like Engineered Garments, Raf Simons, Patrick Ervell all went for trousers that were either gathering at the bottom or had folded hems for practicality. Hugo Boss and Rochambeau also stayed in favour of the roomy and drawn out look, which is a soft nod to the oversized trend all the cool designers in the East are following.
