Let there be color. In recent seasons, J.Crew s women s line hasn t shied away from highlighter shades, but Frank Muytjens and his team on the men s side usually go darker. Not today. After last season s ode to indigo and navy, there was teal, marigold, sea foam, and lilac on display. Muytjens explained he d been looking at the work of Ellsworth Kelly and felt emboldened to bring blocks of color into his stuff. "I love this teal," he said, nodding at a striped sweater. "And this marigold." Will the American man, removed from fashion s whirl, dive into a mauve trouser? TBD. Trust that J.Crew will keep its old standards on offer, too. And who knows, Muytjens enthusiasm could end up catching. An ultralight new version of the now-standard Ludlow suit came in a navy just a skosh more royal than the navy you d expect. "It makes all the difference," he said.
Lightness softened texture as much as tone—the Ludlow also came in a Japanese chambray—but in the end tone had the biggest impact. A classic blue gingham shirt was subjected to bleaching for a mottled effect. Elsewhere, color was applied. One soul at J.Crew HQ is tasked only with hand-painting the camouflage shorts. They represented a welcome intervention of the slow and the small in the midst of J.Crew s national—and more and more, global—reach. They ll be available at the retailer s menswear-only boutiques—in limited quantities. The man has only two hands.
