During a preview, Richard Chai was straightforward about a desire for the straightforward. "It s not about tricks for the show," he said. "I want it to be clean and crisp, accessible and believable." That read as self-admonishment for experiments past, but hey, what would fashion be without a gamble here and there?
Inspired by a Bruce Davidson subway photograph of "a fragile-looking man" wearing a sturdy chesterfield coat, Chai s mantra was "handsome femininity." That s certainly a return to roots, as mens-for-women—or boys-for-girls, depending on your view— is a longtime fascination of his. Sure enough, the collection s biggest impact was sartorial—a great-looking navy and charcoal striped tweed, which he developed with an Italian mill. It fell prey to awkward proportions in the suit that was the first look out, but was a smart and polished winner in nearly every other iteration. Even as that crispness intentionally gave way to the abstraction of Chai s signature prints and a Lurex striped wool, the sense of believability didn t flag. Instead the designer concentrated on refinement, with details like the very flattering waist-defining suede yokes and the taffeta banding that finished skirts and dresses. And he kept his penchant for complex layers in check.
Chai s big news of late is that he s the new creative director of venerable outdoor-gear label Filson, whom he had approached in order to collaborate on men s outerwear. There was a woodsy element to the womenswear, but it was in the men s that it really took shape. For that matter, the menswear also seemed to soak up most of the melancholy of the soundtrack s "How Soon is Now?" by the Smiths. In their gawky cropped pants, rubber-soled Palladium high-tops, and city/country hybrids like a funnel-neck nylon windbreaker under a checked suit, the boys looked like young runaways trying to hitch a ride out of the provinces to spite the world. Goodness knows that oversize Filson duffel backpack, (surely destined for a men s magazine near you) is tailor-made for such a venture.
