"It s everything I want in my closet," Narciso Rodriguez said, reflecting on the 11 men s outfits he had just shown with his women s collection. "A black cashmere coat, a nice tie… and you can t have too many white shirts." But because this was what Narciso wanted, that cashmere coat was paired with the baggy, below-the-knee shorts that are one of his own style signatures. Maybe there won t be too many men following him there, but the rigorous cool of the other clothes on offer should find its share of takers.
Using a palette reduced to black, white, and gray (or silver, as he called it), Rodriguez presented clothes that were as meticulously constructed as his womenswear. Seams were emphasized on a black leather blazer, cut with his signature body-consciousness. The same spirit dictated the nipped-in waist of a gray suit and a wool twill coat. The show music—by new L.A. band She Wants Revenge—had the harsh, angular drive of early-eighties Anglo groups. It complemented the New Wave aerodynamics of a sleeveless cashmere top, with sleeveless white shirt and tie underneath. Sleeves are clearly superfluous in the streamlined world of Narciso s men.
