"It s classic JB," said John Bartlett after his show. "My two obsessions—Ivy League and military." Though the presentation itself was slightly inert (and this is a designer who, in the past, has mounted some of New York s most memorable menswear spectacles), Bartlett clearly benefited from the discipline of playing favorites. The shearling-collared flight jacket was the kind of unambiguously male item the designer does best; likewise, a leather jacket that belted at the side. And trompe l oeil military details—like the tone-on-tone embroidery on the sleeve of a loden coat, or the knit epaulettes woven into the shoulder of a blouson—added striking textures.
Bartlett also opted for sandy tones that brought a saveur of General Montgomery s desert rats to the catwalk. At the same time, he ticked off the mythical totems of the Harvard man (cable-knitted V-necked sweaters, chinos, gab slacks, gingham shirts, corduroy patchworking). The fact that College Boy was sharing runway space with Army Man (desert frats, anyone?) underscored the idiosyncrasy of Bartlett s fashion ethos. Somewhere, Sigmund Freud is smiling.
