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An Eighties youth subculture from the American West known as the drag rats — homeless youth tribes that jumped freight trains to travel the country — served as the core theme of this season’s collection for Krammer & Stoudt.
Mike Brodie’s photography book, “A Period of Juvenile Prosperity” was a starting point.
The style was defined by a mixture of updated workwear including cropped trousers that resembled military fatigues, dark plaid trucker jackets and denim shirts with a Western influence.
A boho sensibility was also present through the use of heavy layering of perfectly disheveled shirts, jackets and the occasional long john shown under baggy cropped pants.
Most of the looks were accessorized with the mandatory beanie and bandana-print neck handkerchiefs to reinforce the Americana feel.

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Private Policy continued to deliver a social message this season through its collection. This time, New York-based designers Haoran Li and Siying Qu tackled globalization, attempting to bring their downtown sensibility to other parts of the world.
“We travel a lot, to Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai and we care about what’s going on in the world,” Qu said.
Models’ faces were marked with labels such as Nerdy, Sneaky, Shy, Terrorist and Refugees to reinforce the brand’s mission statement.
The lineup was youthful with vivid neon colors, and the brand played with proportions, offering a double-layered bomber jacket with a quilted peel-back layer that played on a reversible jacket. Deconstructed sleeves and unfinished denim were also found throughout the collection.
The feeling of imprisonment they used in the spring collection was carried over to fall through the use of chains and snap-button hardware, as well as a plastic shield that was conveyed as a bulletproof vest.
The highlight of the collection was a motorcycle jacket and pants made of world flags that nailed the overall message of the brand.

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Julian Woodhouse’s last collection was quite conceptual. The Seoul-based, American designer who served as an executive officer in the U.S. Army — he recently got out — had offered an Art Deco-influenced lineup in an array of forward silhouettes. But now he wants to make things more palatable for the male of today.
“I usually use ephemeral concepts to create my collections,” Woodhouse said. “But this time I looked out of my window and thought, ‘I want to design for the guy right now.’”
The Wood House guy wears on-trend ath-leisure staples — joggers, sweatshirts and parkas — but they are enlivened with drawstrings that lace up around the leg, color-blocked panels and heavy hardware. Tongue-in-cheek messaging showed up on a pink sweatshirt, which stated: “You don’t want to f–k with this little piggie,” and on a collar, which said “All Choked Up.” Outerwear, which was strong, included velvet, perforated bombers, pleather jackets and long coats with zip-off bottoms that can be worn two ways.
Wood House’s show notes reiterated today’s confusing political climate, which has caused him, and many others, angst. His solution is to do things differently to change his perception. He brought that to his collection, which looked familiar but offered

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“We wanted it to be fun,” said Jon McKinney, the North American president for David Naman, an Italian men’s wear brand that debuted at New York Men’s Day last season in an attempt to build up its U.S. presence — the family-owned apparel company operates 100 stores across Europe. “It’s very serious out there right now.”
This collection, which had a subtle Seventies influence, focused on texture, color and accessories. Models wore velvet blazers, teal peacoats, maroon corduroy pants and jogger pants adorned with zippers.
Messaging, a trend that’s bubbled up on the first day of NYFW: Men’s, was also apparent. The number six, which was placed on a denim jacket with a fur collar and a sweatshirt, represented the birth of Naman’s sixth grandson — he was hoping for a granddaughter — and a gray overcoat was covered in Amy Winehouse and AC/DC references. Accessories included olive backpacks and velvet camo knapsacks.
Was the collection fun? Yes. Was it focused or inventive? No.

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R.Swiader’s debut collection was a nod to the Mod and punk rock movements that included nontraditional basics and British utilitarian pieces in plaids and tartans.
“I wanted to marry British punk and Parisian romance while preparing a gang of street fighters for a peaceful revolution,” said New York-based designer Rafal Swiader.
Although the collection had a punk theme with red flannels and dark tweed fabrics, soft cashmere also played a starring role, in a mock turtleneck paired with oversize check shirt and khaki trousers, and a topcoat with a leopard knit.
Although it was his first collection, Swiader successfully created a relaxed and easy-going offering that left us hopeful for even better things in the future.

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NYDJ is taking an authentic approach to is “Fit Is Everything” advertising and promotional campaign.
After its first “Fit to Be” campaign featured celebrities Christie Brinkley, Ashley Graham, Bridget Moynahan and Lana Ogilvie, the denim-centric brand has turned to “real women” for its spring campaign that bows on Wednesday.
The images and video for the campaign will be used in print, online and social advertising, public relations and event activations, and will be featured across retail outlets, noted Lisa Collier, chief executive officer of NYDJ.
“We spend a lot of time on consumer research and [women’s] denim preferences and jeans choices,” Collier said. “What we found is that fit is a transformative message for our consumer. When we got her in the product, we transform her day. That led us to say ‘why don’t we do this with real people?’ When we get women in our product, we get a 90 percent conversion to purchase. Comfort in jeans is not just physical, it’s also emotional.”
NYDJ held a casting call for more than 50 women of all ages and sizes for a campaign photo shoot for an undisclosed brand. The ones who said that “fit” was important to their decision-making process in buying jeans were

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Warby Parker will continue its habit of signing unconventional collaborators. The eyewear brand has now partnered with multihypenate Amanda de Cadenet on two styles, both sun and optical.
The designs are named for her twin children. The Ella optical style has been designed in jet black. The Silvan style — designed for optical and sun — is fabricated in a translucent Peony, finished with silver-mirrored lenses for sun.
The collaboration — priced at $95 and upward — will hit stores on Jan. 31, as well as Warby Parker’s web site.
De Cadenet is known for her photography and television work. To mark the collaboration, Warby Parker has made a donation to de Cadenet’s #girlgaze project — a web site and digital platform that celebrates imagery by female creatives. Inez Van Lamsweerde, Amber Valletta and Collier Schorr are among those who sit on its panel.
De Cadenet said of her project with Warby Parker: “I’ve worn glasses for a long time and knew that, eventually, I wanted to design my own pair that was both affordable and chic. There was no better brand to turn to than Warby Parker; our ethos is so aligned, and they’ve been a dream to work with. I’m proud that our collaboration frames

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For the spring couture shows, designers offered different takes on tailoring — proving that even high fashion can be borrowed from the boys.

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Is New York becoming a fashion ghost town?
Not quite. There are roughly 150 shows on the fall 2017 official schedule after all. But nowhere is fashion’s state of flux more evident than in New York. In the last week, two of the creative pillars of the New York shows — Rodarte and Proenza Schouler — revealed plans to recalibrate their collections to the January and July couture schedule, showing only two times a year in Paris beginning for spring 2018. Hood by Air and Vera Wang are also headed to the City of Light for fall 2017, Wang showing in tandem with her French Legion of Honor award.
Add to that the fact that Opening Ceremony opted out of New York Fashion Week this year, showing its see-now-buy-now collection at Lincoln Center on Jan. 28 via a collaboration with the New York City Ballet. Then there’s Tommy Hilfiger, Rebecca Minkoff and Rachel Comey, all of which are showing in Los Angeles rather than New York, at least for the fall 2017 season.
Where does this leave New York Fashion Week? Will more designers stray from the American fashion capital?
Rodarte and Proenza Schouler both stated that their decisions to move were business-driven, echoing

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Kenzo continues its eccentric, cerebral bent with the unveiling of its spring campaign.
Creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have cast a troop of vivacious entertainers, including actress Tracee Ellis Ross, actor Jesse Williams and musician Kelsey Lu.
They have been photographed by the Los Angeles-based twin duo Jalan and Jibril Durimel, jointly referred to as Durimel. The Kenzo job marks their first global campaign.
Durimel’s images will be accompanied by a short, original film written and directed by Grammy nominee, Kahlil Joseph — who led the creative team for Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” HBO spectacular. The short — Joseph’s second work for Kenzo — is scheduled to premiere in Los Angeles on Feb. 9 in the lead-up to the Grammy Awards. It is set to be titled “Music Is My Mistress,” and marks Lu’s acting debut.
The campaign images will launch in the March issues of magazines including Vogue; T, the New York Times magazine, and Wallpaper.

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