Thursday, February 21, 2013

2013 NYFW Best of the Rest

So you've already seen what I thought to be the Top 10 looks of fashion week. But there were also quite a few looks that while they weren't strong enough to make the list, but they had some singular pieces that packed a powerful punch and deserved to be noted. Picking the original top 10 from over 40 collections was tough. Here's what ended up on the cutting room floor. I call these the "Best of the Rest"...
All photos courtesy of GQ and Esquire...

Band of Outsiders 
The look on the left was probably one of the closest out of these to not make it to the top 10. Lovely suit. Footwear doesn't do it justice. And on the right, that camel-colored coat is hitting all the right notes.

 Billy Reid
Love the pattern on the sweater.

Elie Tahari 
Love the non-wool peacoat. A good changeup.

Elie Tahari
Deep olive toggle coat.

Boast 
This fire red baseball jacket will surely turn heads.

Carlos Campos
This jacket isn't for everyone. But on the right guy it will do wonders. Awesome cut! And the buttons are perfect.

David Hart
This plaid sport coat is all kinds of right. 

 DKNY
This is a more utilitarian alternative to the trench coat for when the weather gets wet and nasty.


JCrew 
The small dose of leather on the sleeves is perfect.

 Joseph Abboud
Love this moto jacket. Very clean look to it.

 JPress
The sweater underneath has a collegiate feel with the bold yellow stripe.

 Mark McNairy
One of the slimmest down coats I've ever seen.

 Michael Bastian
Another toggle coat I'm in love with.

Michael Bastian
Another look the could have easily made it to the Top 10. The windowpane pattern is so elegant.

 N. Hollywood
Disregard the weird hat and focus on this beautiful brown leather jacket.

 General Idea
Funky design on this jacket sweater mashup, and I like it. 

Ralph Lauren 
Mr Americana delivers a razor sharp shearling lined jacket in what looks like the softest leather ever.

Shades of Grey
Another brand giving their version of the pea coat.

Shipley and Halmos
Its hard to screw up something in black watch. The historic military pattern makes almost anything look good.

Shipley and Halmos 
This shirt is pretty magnificent. I can have a lot of fun mixing and matching this one.

Steven Alan
Beautiful suit covered by a hefty bag.

Tim Coppens
Patterned shirts are trending. Thank Givenchy for that.

Todd Snyder
What is that? Velvet?

Tommy Hilfiger 
Hilfiger's all-plaid-show had some hits and misses. This one was a little bit of both. The patterns on the jacket and trousers are too close to try to wear together in my opinion. They would be great solo pieces.

Humor of the week....
Jeremy Scott
If the Mayweather vs Pacquiao ever happens, (which it probably wont) this should totally be Pacman's pre-fight getup. 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Best of 2013 F/W NYFW

All photos courtesy of GQ.com & Esquire.com

So another New York Fashion Week has come to a close. I took the liberty of scanning through roughly 45 or so different menswear collections that were presented to give you guys what I believe to be the top 10 looks of the week. In no particular order, here they are...

1. Billy Reid

Reigning Menswear Designer of the Year Billy Reid didn't miss a beat with this collection. It was very difficult trying to choose looks from this show because the were all so solid. I finally narrowed it down to this one because of the use of browns, a color that I normally avoid because it would just wash me out. But one lighter people, it can be magical. 

2. David Hart

David Hart, a designer Ive honestly never heard of before this week killed it with this green shawl-collar tux jacket. I was actually thinking to myself, over the past two years many have been swapping out the black tux jackets for navy. I thought, "I wonder how a deep green would look." Looks like me and this guy were on the same page.

 3. JCrew

JCrew typically does textured cardigans very well. And this is no exception. The heavyweight trousers and perfect-shade-of brown boots make this a very solid look.

4. Michael Bastian

So this season Michael Bastian, whom I might add is my absolute favorite designer, took a complete left turn from his preppy New England aesthetic. He took inspiration from the dark and somber paintings of Andrew Wyeth. This is the most I've ever seen him use black. I personally don't incorporate much black in my wardrobe, but I must say, this show goes a long way in adjusting my views of it.

 5. Ovadia & Sons

Ovadia and Sons have a thing for the Black Watch pattern and it shows with this over sized shawl scarf thingy going on here. And the pattern mixing with a different plaid on the suit is genius.

6. Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger continues the strong run he's had over the past few years with a predominately plaid collection. This look I feel had the best use of it. Looks to be fully lined with the fur so it allows you to not have to dress so heavily underneath it. Neat little "racing stripe" along the center of the sweater I found to be clever. 

7. Nautica

This greyed-out look from Nautica was a smash for me. This is for the sharpest guy at the Aspen ski lodge. 

8. Michael Bastian

Another solid look from the Michael Bastian show. This is more along the lines of what I'm used to seeing from my favorite designer. Great use of colors and a good mix of fabrics.

9. Ovadia & Sons

When I came across this look, my jaws dropped open. The looks-to-be brown houndstooth peacoat took my breath away. And the green trousers were the nail in the coffin. 

10. Nautica

This look made the list because of the great use of the Spring-colored pants in a Winter look. Toggle coats are trending and the blue fur provides an awesome contrast and pop. 

Honorable Mention: Billy Reid

OK so this is number 11. But I couldn't let this one land outside of my top 10 because it was the top Womenswear look of the predominately Menswear shows. I did the florals and the shear sleeves are a nice touch. This just goes to show that the reigning Menswear Designer of the Year knows a thing or two about Womenswear as well. 

So there you have it. My Top 10 for the Fall/Winter New York Fashion Week. Feel free to comment below and share which one you think is the best out of these. And stay tuned next week for my "Best of the Rest" list for the looks that weren't quite strong enough to make the top 10 but had some real strong singular pieces.