Steven Alan is in a voyaging mood. "Mediterranean," he said, remembering a trip to Spain taken with his brother. "Sort of getting out of New York, but having the New York sensibilities in a different place." Departing is apropos for a collection he calls a major departure for his ever-enlarging brand (not to mention that this is the label s first formal presentation, comprising mens and womens clothing, shoes, and accessories, after seasons of viewings by showroom appointment only). "The stores that we sell to have been requesting more of a story," Alan went on. "This feels a lot more like a collection."
Alan made his name, and still makes a lot of his bottom line, on one piece of the wardrobe: the men s shirt—that s the opposite of a collection. But he s shrewdly growing into much more than a supplier of standards. For both men s and women s, the offerings here felt breezily casual, more muted and more refined than in the past. Simplicity was a strength. Having mastered the shirt, he s moving on to perfecting the pant—and the gusseted, cinched-waist mountain pant he s offering as an alternative to denim is a solid contender. For the ladies, it s a wide-leg "beach trouser" in cotton or linen. A pleated minidress in indigo cupro? Just toss it in your overnight bag and go. The feeling you took away from the whole was salt-aired and sun-bleached—and that s a sensation that sounds pretty salable, even if you re not going any farther than the next subway stop.
