As a city that has had its own taste of the apocalypse, New York was a fitting choice for the launch of Karl Lagerfeld s new collection, the first fruit of his deal with Tommy Hilfiger. There was an urgent bleakness to the presentation, which suggested a world on the brink. Lagerfeld himself claimed inspiration from shadowy Nordic notions like Isak Dinesen s gothic tales or the paintings of Edvard Munch. The clothes were uniformly dark, the boys clad in leggings, long johns, leathers, or waxy denims that made a streamlined counterpoint to the long, flowing skirts of the girls.
As the final show of New York fashion week, the collection appropriately distilled the season s key menswear trends: significant outerwear, military detailing, trenchcoats (here cropped into jackets), knitwear given textural interest (little gaping mouths were slashed into black wool). Viking motifs were stitched into sweaters, adding a warriors-in-the-wasteland edge to Lagerfeld s dystopian vision. An evening look showed up in a white-tie combination deconstructed as an asymmetrically shawl-collared shirt with attached vest pockets. Given that this label (called Karl Lagerfeld) is intended as a more "price-sensitive" collection, its dramatic point of view made it a welcome addition to the busload of college-boy-friendly second lines that other designers have offered throughout the week.
