Be Better Guys

New York Fashion Week (#NYFW) just ended. “What’s Fashion Week,” you ask? If you don’t watch Project Runway, subscribe to one or more men’s fashion trade magazines, and don’t stalk blogs like The Sartorialist, we understand your confusion. It’s the time each year when American designers descend upon New York to show off their wares for the next year’s season.  What you will see featured in the stores this summer was debuted last week.  It’s filled with models leaping into the air (Never understood why?) , C-list celebrities sitting attentively near the stage (Hey! That’s Victor Cruz!), and dozens of fastidiously dressed young people wandering by Bryant Park in the middle of the day (left).

It’s like the NFL Combine for the fashion industry, and while the men’s collection don’t get the sort of attention the women’s wear does, there is interest and it will impact what you buy this fall. Still not feeling it? Don’t worry; we can capture all you need to know about the week that was in five points.

1. Fall/Winter 2012/2013 is still about the slimmer silhouettes of suits, shorter cropped jackets, and narrow pants of the past two years. Beefy tweeds, bold checks, brightly colored accessories are must-haves. This is paired with an über-masculine sportswear–military, huntsman, outdoorsy guy stuff. And shoes, lots chunky, colorful shoes.
2. Collaborations runneth over. If you’re not familiar with Michael Bastian, Billy Reid, Mark McNairy, and Simon Spurr, you might want to brush up. McNairy and Bass; Bastian and Gant; Billy Reid and JCrew; this trend of hot designers plus recognized brands has been occurring for the past several years. Many of those pairings were featured in New York and you can expect to see more in the coming seasons.
3. Get layered. Down vests over top of sport jackets; cardigans under suits; multiple layers of different textures, patterns, and colors; jewelry as accessories ; and lots of scarves. Scarves are still a big thing.
4. The next wave is ambiguity? Searching for innovation or staving off boredom, this year’s collection of men’s fashion moved more toward more looks that you find in the women’s shows. The manly-man styles of the past several years are being mashed up with a mix of patterns and colors well outside of the normal palette for men’s wear.
5. The random sighting of overly fashionable guys wandering around New York when photographers are out looking for “street style.” With dozens of photographers roaming the streets, the well-known and the “who’s-that” peacocked around within range of a telephoto lens. If you think that was coincidence, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in.