The Nautica fall 2011 Presentation

TEXT, Vivian Kelly

Interview with Menswear Editor, Mark Behnke of www.fashiontribes.com

When it comes to mens’ fashion, Fashion has always suffered with being labeled “elitist”, “not for the regular guy” or “too edgy”, and even “scary”.

Normally, during NYFW, I’m drawn to just such “directional” collections such as Duckie Brown’s [a big favorite], Andrew Buckler, and Siki Im.

This season, though, I decided it was time to be more “democratic” and see just what bigger consumer brands such as Nautica were proposing men wear in 2011.

As I walked the crowded show space with Mark at the Lincoln Center Library, I was reminded of a long-ago Christmas in the early nineties.

I’d just returned from Neiman Marcus and with a pair of Gucci horse bit loafers for my conservatively minded first husband.  While in the thrill of the luxe buy, I’d reasoned to myself that they were “traditional” and that he’d approve.

I Was Wrong. Sad, but not really understanding WHY he wasn’t thrilled to receive them, I returned them on Boxing Day.

His explanation: He loved his Top Siders, always would and did not want to be “fashionable”.

My EX is one of legions of affluent guys who “want to look nice” but are not interested in clothes that would make them “stick-out” on the golf range, on a sail, sporting events, or Friday night poker night with the boys.

Nautica is a great choice for men of this ilk.
#1: It's no hassle- just go to Macy’s and you’re out in less than 20 minutes and back pursuing your leisure time activities.
#2L  Fit – nothing skintight here that requires you to be a gym rat in order to fit into the more avant-garde brands. Asparagus silhouette not required.

3.     #3: Traditional designs and themes. As Mark points out in our video, there’s a nautical theme that appeals to the traditional guy, and “safe” neutral colors.

None of the above is true if you happen to be a liberated metro-sexual type such as  Mark, whose morning grooming lotions and potions rival the most “high-maintenance” woman’s. And that’s great! It’s probably “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” that’s responsible for “regular guys” to start thinking in a more “directional” fashion and to consider fashion lines such as Duckie Brown, Buckler and Siki Im.

*The pre-show interview with the Duckies goes live here next week!

MADONNA – THE MATERIAL GIRL COLLECTION - Where's the Grit?

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Yesterday, a whacky turn of events landed me at that most dreaded of destinations- Macy's Herald Square. I say dreaded, because I fear overly large places, such as Macy's H.S and any Home Depot or Lowe's.
As usual it was chaos in and out, but I was dying to check out the MATERIAL GIRL line Madonna and Lourdes had whipped up for Macy's and Iconix.
Once there, I started to wrap my head around just how huge a gamble the ICONIX Group is taking on this line. It"s priced to sell to the teen crowd whose mamas were sneaking into clubs when the Mat Girl came out w/ 'Everybody' in 1982
There were my old eighties youth closet faves: lowcutsnakeskin flats, lots of cobalt blue, the rippedup 1 shoulder gray flashdance sweatshirt,the lace tees and gray jean jacket w/ stud detail, like the one I spent my week's food money for back in 1985. I'm not sure how the lame bags fit in and the lame seventies boob tube tops, but it's inspired by - not a literal walk thru her East Village closet back then, right?
I can't fault their pricing strategy either. An entire outfit comes in at $64: plaid shirt, bandeau, leggings, tutu skirt.

WHAT WAS MISSING WAS THE GRIT AND HUNGER THAT GAVE MADONNA THAT EDGE WE ALL LOVED AND COULD RELATE TO WHEN SHE BROKE OUT WITH 'EVERYBODY' and then 'LUCKY STAR'. A BLOGGER, 'SHANK EXPOSE' PUTS IT BEST, "

I love how Madonna was so so hungry here. She's giving it! She's like...I'm gonna be a star bitches! And that [what] she became!

To give Iconix and the Madonna-Lourdes team some credit, HOW CAN you bring-back a moment and the feelings that were part and parcel of the person Madonna was then? YOU CAN'T. Because this is so, what you end-up with is a shadow of the IN-YOUR-FACE persona that thousands of young girls [including moi] couldn't get enough of back then.
As far as the shopping experience, one suggestion is to play early Madonna tracks on a continuous loop in the shopping area and to have video screens scattered around playing the early raw concert videos such as 'Lucky Star', I've posted here.
[Hey, maybe this was all being done, but when I walked-in yesterday, there was a forgettable [not Madonna] soundtrack in the background.






THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PART OF THE BRANDING EXERCISE IS HOW WELL TAYLOR MOMSEN AND PHOTO FASHION GENIUS, TOM MUNRO PULL -OFF MADGE'S EARLY-YEARS 'TUDE IN THE ADS. Tom's one of Madonna's long-time collaborators. Check out their joint exhibit on www.allaboutmadonna.com
I'm passing on the Material Girl for Macy's line. Instead, I'm doing my own hommage to this extraordinary woman. I'm off to an Ashtanga Yoga class and I'm wearing a few black rubber bracelets I dug up from back in the day.

*For a yoga class that's starting to get me towards my goal of Madonna-like arms, check-out one of the classes at www.buddhimatyoga.com