FASHION : ‘It’s Time to Take Chances’
NEW YORK — Who says we’re in a recession?
Apparently, the New York menswear designers don’t think we are--if this week’s fall 1992 shows were any indication.
Fifteen runway shows were presented over three days, including the Esquire magazine show that featured 10 American menswear designers. Overall, it was the biggest display of U.S. menswear in recent years.
The biggest splashes were made by Calvin Klein and Michael Kors. Klein’s first menswear line in more than a decade attracted Madonna, Matthew Modine and Hollywood pals Barry Diller, Sandy Gallin and David Geffen to his showroom. The collection was as stellar as the audience.
To those who think it is a brave gesture to start a new line in this economy, Klein says, “We are doing this exactly according to plan. It’s time to take chances.â€
Klein describes his line as “very personal--everything I want to own myself--soft, modern and easy clothes.†He omitted expensive. His suits--cut very loose and wide-legged--run $1,200. Klein likes them with cashmere sweaters in polo, T-shirt, turtleneck and hooded styles. The colors are rich and earthy--sand, taupe, oak, moss, oatmeal, slate and granite.
Though Kors’ first menswear collection has a younger feel to it with items like tight, plain-front jeans, sequined vests and pony-skin blousons, he also indulges in luxury items, as if the deficit were just a bad dream. There were charcoal cashmere sweat shirts and leggings, a camel-hair toggle coat layered over a camel sport jacket, a camel suede shirt, and camel corduroy pants. Lambs-wool hacking jackets in pink, blue or vanilla with matching vests are worn with faded jeans--a good example of mixing luxe with laid back. A tuxedo in black denim takes the idea even further.
Kors most inventive idea is his body shirt--a dress shirt that attaches to elastic-waist briefs to keep the shirt in place.
Donna Karan, presenting her first formal men’s show likes dark ensembles in charcoal or black cashmere that will take a man from morning to midnight. The new emphasis on rugged, outdoors-inspired clothing is evident here in a leather utility vest worn over a suit. Her best look: a longer black sport jacket with black, slim trousers, black suede shirt and black tie.
The newest silhouette for pants is slim--very slim--and plain-front. Andrew Fezza does them best in jersey knit with just one button on the waistband.
When Isaac Mizrahi is good, he’s very interesting, as with his combination of mini-check pants worn with a subtle Prince of Wales plaid jacket. Or his soft houndstooth-check suits with matching belts. But often he seems to be unsure of how he wants men to look as when he couples Oxfords with sweat pants.
Both Bill Robinson and Joseph Abboud showed black leather toppers in everything from motorcycle jackets to stadium coats. Abboud also does a great suede sport jacket to go over his speckled wool sweaters--the best-looking knits of the season.
Abboud introduced his lower-priced line, JOE, which stands for Just One Earth. As with Basco’s line, the clothes have a rugged, streetwise feel to them with shirts, sweaters, T-shirts, vests, jackets and outerwear often all worn in a single ensemble with either a baseball cap or yarn hat to top it off. Though the look is relaxed and comfortable, it is inspired by what the kids have been wearing on the street for quite some time. They generally do it better.
This layered, laid-back look, however, may be more in keeping with what’s going on in the U.S. The effect is very working class rather than rich and secure.
