Authenticity is an intensely desirable asset in fashion. Its power to persuade can t be denied. The role of the real in an industry that thrives on illusion, on the other hand, is inevitably nebulous, which is why Umit Benan s presentation set some kind of gold standard.
Istanbul is the current European capital of culture, so Benan s return to his Turkish roots was timely, but more than that, his questioning of his own identity went right to the issue at the heart of men s fashion. Never mind "What is a Turkish man?" How about "What is a man?"
Benan answered that question with a collection that started with the way his father used to dress. (The collection was called Home, Sweet Home.) All the trousers were high-waisted, multi-pleated, drop-crotched Turkish pants. A commercial version tied with a bow at the waist. Shirts had a band collar, and a striped caftan was straight outta Anatolia. Benan shot his lookbook with Burhan Öçal, a top Turkish musician who has recorded with Miles Davis and Pharrell Williams, among others. "If he went to his village in these clothes, he wouldn t stand out," Benan noted.
But just as traditional musical instrumentation was a launchpad for Öçal, Benan integrated traditional Turkish menswear with his own fashion aesthetic, which revolves around fluid tailoring, a creative use of skins, and an idiosyncratic color sense. They were all present in a collection that starred soft, washed-leather blousons; immaculately tailored blazers; masterful knitwear; surprisingly luxurious fabrics; and a tux jacket with a decadently, deeply draped lapel, always with the voluminous Turkish pants.
Roots or not, Benan revisited the tenets of western menswear with unexpected combinations, like a double-breasted jacket cut from ribbed jersey, a white shirt with kimono sleeves, and a parka that looked a lot like a safari jacket from the front. The immediate impression was strong, confident clothes that had a life above and beyond any national borders. And in answer to that question, "What is a man?" Let s start with the fact that he s international.
