Second Layer Fall/Winter 2016 Collection Presentation at Skylight Clarkson During New York Fashion Week Men's
photographs by Adam Lehrer
New York-based brand Rochambeau, designed by duo Josh Cooper and Laurence Chandler, makes no bones about being rooted heavily in hip-hop culture. Their FW 2016 presentation felt like a short if totally dope hip-hop party, using the catalyst of dueling DJs blaring ‘90s hip-hop favorites, from Gangstarr to Illmatic to Reasonable Doubt. The bass was shaking the room. The collection was inspired by the 1992 Tupac-starring film Juice, and as a result oversized sportswear figures in as the primary motif of the collection. The looks were very clean, with navy blue nylon track pants and matching nylon turtleneck as perhaps my favorite. Some were a bit safe, such as a black bomber over a black hoodie (something we all see on the street enough to not need to be reminded of it on the runway). But then Rochambeau would redeem itself with something totally unique, such as the slightly loose oversized patterned track pants, or that same pattern shown as a button down shirt under a loosely tailored varsity jacket with nice looking oversized khakis. Rochambeau has established its brand DNA and sticks to it here, perhaps paving way for more grandiose statements to come. Text and photographs by Adam Lehrer
Gypsy Sport’s FW 2016 presentation shunned a runway for an aesthetic so much more powerful. Designer Rio Uribe opted for a podium of his typically streetcasted models. Once telling Dazed that he streetcasts because he wanted the label to “span all five boroughs of NYC and the different races, genders, and cultures,” the models, while all professional soccer player ripped, were of a mixed bag of racial backgrounds. Can high fashion actually be inclusive? Doesn’t that sort of go against the whole idea of luxury? Uribe doesn’t care one fucking bit. Sick clothes for culturally ignored cultures. FW 2016 menswear felt like a new high in the brand’s aesthetic. Many of the looks exhibited the brand’s pension for gender fluidity: beautifully patterned smocks, blue dresses with smartly placed zippers, and jumpers elongated up at the sleeves and cropped at the waist. But, there were also pieces a more conventional dresser would feel nothing less than confident wearing, such as the excellent denim-esque fabric sweatshirt in baby blue, wildly oversized but fitted just right. Gypsy Sport usually does a good show, but a presentation felt right here somehow. It seemed to elevate the brand beyond the early beginnings of a passive concept and into a new stage of active manufacturing of desirable products. Text and photographs by Adam Lehrer
Click here to read our review of this collection. photographs by Adam Lehrer
Read Adam Lehrer's review of the best of the best from day one of New York Fashion Week Mens here.
photograph by Adam Lehrer
"It feels like every season I find myself almost wanting the Paris round of menswear shows to suck, just to change it up. I can make claims like, 'London is ground zero for cutting edge young menswear designers,' or 'Italian luxury is forever,' or 'New York is on the up and up,' but when it comes down to it, everything still pales in comparison to the lineup of designers that show their new duds in Paris." Adam Lehrer reviews the best of Paris Fashion Week Men's, from Raf Simons to Lemaire and everything in between. Click here to read the full review.
Fashion editor-at-large Adam Lehrer covers the best of the best at this year's Milan Menswear, featuring Gucci, Brioni, Bottega Veneta, and more. Click here to read.
It's been a full week since LCM, which is an eternity in the world of fashion, but we like to take our time to really analyze the collections for their sartorial craftiness, relevance in culture and wearableness. Anyway, another season another killer London Collections: Men.. Bless Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, because as we’ve said before, London is far and away smoking the menswear game in terms of new and subversive talent. Click here to read more.
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