Nijinsky dances! One of the biggest influences on Tim Hamilton s new collection spoke volumes about the way that New York s menswear designers have upped their game this season. Okay, so the star of Les Ballets Russes isn t exactly the timeliest reference point for twenty-first-century Schizoid Man, but his shadowy presence in Hamilton s presentation did underscore the designer s entirely personal take on menswear for fall 2008. He was looking to incorporate a lounge-y wearability into his sportswear, hence leggings and sweatpants that suggested ballet. And the Vaslav Nijinksy subtext gave Hamilton the opportunity to inject some louche glamour: fur trim on a cardigan, a robe that wrapped with a fringed scarf, Mongolian lamb lining for a leather coat, and roll-necked tunics straight off the steppes.
"I added tailoring," Hamilton enthused as he pointed to a plinth laden with boys in suits that ran a gamut of proportions: the shawl-collared jacket with the elasticated-ankle pant; the single-buttoned gray flannel suit coat with the high notch, again with an elasticated lower half; the thigh-length jacket with bellows pockets. Hamilton is experimenting, so things aren t always going to work. But he s so darn exuberant it s hard not to go along for the ride.
