New York Fashion Week kicked off on February 5th with New York Men’s Day. The full day of presentations featured a number of menswear veterans (including David Hart, Krammer & Stoudt and Maiden Noir), as well as first-timers (Diplomacy, Project Life Creation and TAAKK). Read on for the highlights.
TAAKK
Japanese designer Takuya Morikawa of TAAKK made his Men’s Day debut with a 15-look collection, “Common Oddity.” The presentation made a high-impact splash with its bold graphics, unorthodox fabrications and custom TAAKK caution tape accents. Morikawa covered streetwear (fuzzy camo jackets, bright yellow track pants) and tailored suiting (slouchy mandarin-collar suit, shiny dual-sided trousers), making for a well-rounded selection of both wearable and high-concept pieces.
DAVID HART
Designer David Hart showed a cheeky collection inspired by the mass exodus of American brands and designers to show in Paris. One sweatshirt read “NEW YORK FASHION WEEK PARIS” next to a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, making the inspiration crystal clear. Other Franco-inspired pieces included silk ties and pajama tops printed with smoldering cigarettes, wool berets in a variety of bright colors and artfully paint-smeared trousers (perhaps a nod to the technique of the French impressionists).
PRIVATE POLICY
Inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s attempt to resist Hitler with the film “The Great Dictator,” Private Policy showed a Fall 2018 collection fit for today’s resistance movement against Donald Trump. The garments combined military silhouettes with a youthful, streetwear-inspired edge. “We want to dress up our fellow revolutionaries to be empowered to fight for our faith in Love and Equality,” the show notes read—indeed, the collection succeeded.
