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NEW YORK / AP
It’s the little brother to women’s Fashion Week — the very little brother. But men’s Fashion Week has its fans, and it’s a lot less frenetic: You can actually find a taxi! Here are some highlights of the week:
RAF SIMONS
It’s safe to say Raf Simons’ runway show was the marquee event of Men’s Fashion Week. The Belgian designer — formerly of Dior, soon to debut with Calvin Klein — was showing his own, eponymous menswear label for the first time in New York, and the buzz was palpable as guests packed into the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea. Among them: rapper A$AP, Neil Patrick Harris, a slew of fellow designers, and even a frisky, clearly well-connected dog in the front row.
What followed was essentially a love letter to New Yorkers — and a statement or two about current events. Instead of belts, the young models, many clad in generous overcoats of wool or satin, simply wore duct tape to cinch their waists, emblazoned with “I (Heart) You” or “New York” or a cityscape, or non-geographical messages like “Walk With Me.” Baggy deconstructed sweaters — some draped like scarves across the torso — also were emblazoned with “New York” or “I (Heart) You.”
In a unique style accent, there were colorful, striped arm warmers piled on top of the coats — just like leg warmers, but arguably a lot hipper. Whether they would actually keep the arms warmer was not immediately clear. The young men also wore chunky necklaces.
After Wednesday evening show, as Simons accepted countless “welcome to New York” hugs, he explained what he was going for in the collection.
First: youth. “It is very important for me, it’s where I get my energy from,” he said. On top of that, he wanted to portray the experience of New York from two perspectives: That of a young person visiting for the first time — as Simons did 20 years ago — who perhaps frequents tourist stores and buys kitschy trinkets, and that of a more worldly visitor who wears coats of shiny black satin.
“I wanted to go back and remember what it was like at the beginning, and combine it with the experience I am having now,” said Simons, now making his home in New York. “So it’s a fresh young attraction to the city, combined with what’s happening now. Yes, of course the political situation.”
Simons said the current political mood made him think about the potential of fashion as a means of social reaction or rebellion — and evoked thoughts of punk, in the ’70s.
“Punk was a reaction to things that were happening,” he said. “It was a reaction from a young generation of people who kind of created a dress code, but it was a political reaction to a moment,” he said, adding: “If people like me could be of help, by being an inspiration (for young people) by what we say and what we think, then I think I would be very happy and proud. When you have a voice, you should use it.”
TODD SNYDER
At 49, Todd Snyder was feeling the looks and sounds of his college days at Iowa State.
Inspired by thrift shop finds and 1980s college radio, the designer who once worked for Ralph Lauren and J. Crew put out a menswear collection Wednesday of slouchy topcoats, thick-cable sweaters, slacker plaid prints and military-detailed workwear pants cut in relaxed stovepipes.
While Snyder stuck to muted reds, blues and army green, pops of color came in wide racing stripes on sweaters and more delicate stripes on scarves. He reinterpreted the retro ski sweater for urbanites in lush cashmere turtlenecks worn with a range of looks, from button-down shirts to blazers. And he went for defiance in British-made Sanders combat boots. But really what he did was make these college dudes, including those in nerdy high-water pants, sexy. Snyder has been in business for himself for about six years, including a brand new store in New York, but he’s been in the business for more than two decades. Fashion has become, well, fashionable for even more men in his professional life span.
“I think one of the biggest things about menswear is a lot more guys are getting into it,” he said in a backstage interview. “I think you’re starting to see a lot more younger guys getting into clothes.”
For fall, Snyder was going for rugged while playing with traditional men’s tailoring, mixing and matching as he went along.
At his new store, he said, customers are everything from 20-somethings to Baby Boomers. Generally, are more men willing to spend big on fashion?
