On the last day of NYFW’s mens week, SecondLayer presented a runway show at Skylight Clarkson Square in downtown NYC. Check out our notes and thoughts on the Second/Layer!
SecondLayer (stylized as Second/Layer) was the underdog this year. Armed with sleek online presence
SecondLayer Men’s RTW Fall 2016 Photo by Andrew H. Walker/WWD
and an ambitious designer, SecondLayer saw the likes of J Logan Horne and Franke Grande eyeing the wears during the Thursday evening presentation. Without a doubt, Second/Layer came through with the normcore, nouveau-liberal chic, “we not only accept you, we want you to be a part of this”. The concept was perfectly executed; models of many shapes and sizes graced the stage; tall and short, varied beauty. Maybe this acts as a testament to the satisfying wearability of SecondLayer. It’s a demonstration that you, too, can look great in a SecondLayer piece. Designs were moderately slouchy, in a nerd chic, these-were-my-dad’s way.
That said, these garments are perfectly modern, with textures of charcoal and cotton, gray and wool, even occasional satin, chrome appliqués, plaid (a trend), blocky pants, high waisted, mid arm sleeves, Vans shoes, beanies, it’s a style that says I’m never outside, or if I am, it’s just to check the mail or get Pizza from the delivery guy. These are clothes to be leisurely in, but not exactly “veg out” nor exercise in. Be it known that SecondLayer wants to be what you wear when you’re in between it all. It’s exciting to ponder how these get put into editorial context and we think they could inspire a whole new range of styles that are at once vintage but not wandering. Think Vintage with a moment of 90’s skate kid nostalgia, for those moments of high school; it’s a little bit of “Clueless” (1995) with a generous helping of cult favorite series, “Freaks and Geeks”. Turns out, the inspiration was “she’s only with you when she’s with you”, clothes worn by neighborhood pimps — or “suavecitos” as he called them — when he was a kid.
