NYFW is a term so recognizable and so infamous that you can almost feel the designers’ stress to convey their very best work.
Viewing Christopher Lowman’s menswear presentation, the first word that comes to mind is “preppy,” and reading the PR materials pretty much bears that out. The collection is called HARVARD PUNK’D, and was inspired, as those press materials say, by “the modern day college student battling the everyday chain of emotions such as financial instability and mental health issues.” Which is very weighty, although realistically the average modern day college student might not be wearing satins and lambskins, and certainly not looking this put together. Yet there’s also denims, great wearable sweaters, and a look that literally wears the troubles of college life on it’s sleeve: a jeans jacket with “financial debt” printed on one arm, and “knowledge” printed on the other.
One thing to note about this presentation, held at HGU New York: it really, really broke down the barriers between the models and the audience. Models were standing against walls and seated on couches with books next to them, while guests freely circulated around them; if someone looked good and stood still long enough it might be plausible they were part of the show. Overall a fittingly confident presentation despite the potential woes of college life.
-Jason T. Jaskot (@jjaskotphoto)
Photo Credit: Jason T. Jaskot