Designing men’s fashion is like re-inventing the wheel. Every season,
variations on the basics, pants, sweaters, shirts, jackets and overcoats,
have to be churned out. Thankfully today’s designers like Steven
Cox and Daniel Silver of Duckie Brown, John Bartlett, Thom Brown and Band
of Outsiders embrace the challenges of innovation and present collections
that are visually arresting, intellectually challenging, trend influencing
and at times, history making. Consider the fact that a Duckie Brown outfit
was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum permanent collect after
being included in a 2007 show New York Now, securing the designers a place
A respected men’s wear collection has to begin with excellent
tailoring and in the Duckie Brown Fall Winter 2011 collection the tailoring
was evident in crisp narrow cut, slim armed jackets, and precise overcoats.
Somehow the designers made a camel overcoat, seemingly button-less, look
luscious and the few fur overcoats and brilliantly woven jackets were tailored
to look fitted in the shoulders and throughout. The fine fitting pieces,
usually presented on the model’s upper half, provided a backdrop in
the collection to the designers challenging play with proportion. The first
look set the tone for the show, an ample, drop-crotch, grey wool trousers
was matched with a re-envisioned men’s sweater, complete with extra
long arm openings and elongated in the sleeves and waist. The variations
on the uber-baggy trouser provided the excitement and elevated elegance
to the collection. For more information visit Duckie Brown.
