Tag Archives: menswear

Dear John

Posted on September 14, 2012 by in Fashion & Design, New York, People, Vegan

An interview with menswear designer John Bartlett by Nell Alk. Photos 1-3 by Dan Lecca. Photo 4 by Nick Ugluizza.
John Bartlett

Designer John Bartlett

CFDA award-winning menswear designer John Bartlett returned to the fashion scene this week with his SS13 collection, a comfortably tailored, richly hued, linen-based line. While the visionary produced a nuanced presentation last winter, his first showcase in some time, this past Tuesday at noon the talent reestablished himself as a formidable figure within Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The last time his eponymous label rocked the runway in such a high-profile capacity, MBFW’s tents were erected in Bryant Park.

Bartlett’s resurgence is cause for celebration. A commitment to ethical fashion—rejecting animal-made materials and embracing the genuinely eco-conscious—sets him apart in the industry. In fact, I’m told Bartlett’s is the first show—ever—to stage at the official MBFW venue while explicitly foregoing the use of animals for clothes.

Of course, values in fashion can’t work without the “fashion” part, and Bartlett, as ever, delivers. This time around, his expert eye for playful luxurious style is lasered in, from head to toe, on long-underestimated linen. “Linen is the most sustainable fabric besides hemp. Even over cotton,” he explained to us onsite, minutes before 21 handsome men strutted their stuff for a room packed to capacity. Read More…

The Tie Tailor

Posted on September 5, 2012 by in Brooklyn, Fashion & Design, New York, People, Style

A profile of SKINNYFATTIES founder Joshua Brueckner. Written and photographed by Dan Mims.

Joshua Brueckner, founder of SKINNYFATTIESI’ve been saying “skinny fatties,” but I’m getting the feeling that, though acceptable, it’s not necessarily the preferred pronunciation. Joshua Brueckner, founder of SKINNYFATTIES, has been nice about letting me say it only my way up to this point, but now that I’m introducing him and his work to friends at Fontana’s in the LES, he offers an annotation. “You can also say it, ‘skinny fat ties,’” he states, before adding, “Either way!”

“Skinny fat ties” actually makes a little more sense—or at least delivers more descriptive precision. Under the SKINNYFATTIES label, Brueckner takes your old wide-load, 3.5-inch-plus neckties and converts them into the slimmer, more youthful cut preferred by today’s men-about-town. For those of us who have kept our ‘90s-chic wide ties until now, despite believing for the past several years that we’d never wear them again, Brueckner is our savior. Read More…

Where the Heart Is

Posted on March 29, 2012 by in Beauty, Fashion & Design, New York, Style

Written by Nell Alk. Photo #1 by Bridget Laudien. Photo #3 by Erin Yamagata. 

Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart, Vaute CoutureLike the beautiful, innovative, animal-friendly winter coats she makes via her fashion label Vaute Couture, anyone who knows her (and even the legions of fans who technically don’t) can see—can feel—the warmth, the vibrance, the compassion of Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart. Amidst a glow like that, and because she makes it all look so natural and effortless, it’s easy to overlook Leanne’s most remarkable quality—her resilience.

She’s singlehandedly raised an indie fashion label, where the workload today is always too much and tomorrow promises an increase. Add to that the capital-intensive nature of the fashion biz and the often monumental challenges of both doing and convincing other people to do the right thing, as Leanne does with her animal-honoring policies and messaging, and we’re only beginning to appreciate her accomplishments and vexations. “I’ve been doing this by myself for three-and-a-half years and I outgrew [that aspect] before I even launched the label [in 2009]. This fall/winter season in particular nearly killed me.”

It also made her stronger. She and VC turned a huge corner this month with the unveiling of the label’s first boutique, called Vaute Here, in trendsetting Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Opening a store is the milestone that officially declares any fashion label’s legitimacy to (or, perhaps in VC’s case, at) the fashion establishment. Read More…

John Bartlett Cuts His Own Way

Posted on February 15, 2012 by in Fashion & Design

Written by Nell Alk. Photographed by Greg Vaughan.

Last Thursday brought blistering temps and whipping winds, but that didn’t stop invitees from turning out in droves at Milk Studios for the first night of AW12 Fashion Week shows. The long line advanced at a snail’s pace but proved worth the wait as we sought the night’s most interesting prize: a viewing of John Bartlett’s buzzingly groundbreaking new collection.

As feeling returned to our fingers and toes and a frenzied party greeted us inside, we made our way through dense human forest to discover Bartlett’s boyish models, who were made to look muddied from a long day of work (or play).

John Bartlett AW12

It’s the kind of stylish impracticality that tends to abide only on the fantasyscapes of runways and photo shoots, but Bartlett’s cheeky conceit worked better than most. Equal parts Lord of the Flies and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Bartlett’s presentation, an evolution of his trademark mix of big colors (rich reds, bright blues, canary yellows) and sporty, outdoorsy masculinity, showcased crown jewels like recycled microfiber ultrasuede motorcycle jackets, smartly tailored with zippers, pockets, and buckles; dependable basics like organic cotton long johns and form-fitting henleys, with visual textures from tartans to stripes to aforementioned solids; and feet either bared or dressed in M:Zero loafers by Melissa and Hunter wellies. It was a story of whimsy-meets-manly, and I for one particularly appreciated the fearlessness it takes to pair red with red with red, as Bartlett chose for one of his most striking ensembles. Read More…