Neil Barrett likes to define his collections with a provocative pairing: Fall 2007 s Amish Punk is one that springs effortlessly to mind. Today s Classics and Classicism didn t have quite that zing, but it sure nailed the essence of the offering. The classicism manifested in computer-manipulated prints derived from ancient sculpture: Here there was Aphrodite, while it was Apollo for the men s collection Barrett showed in June. He composed an ingenious camouflage print from sculptural fragments.
The classic element came from Barrett s attention to a man s wardrobe, feminized with cut and detail. His foundation stone was a mutation of the plain white cotton shirt. Shirttails poked out from under a silver Lurex miniskirt as a trompe l oeil detail. They detailed the hem of a shift dress in black leather or python. The white shirt itself was extended into a floor-length dress, like the most pristine housecoat you could imagine. A shorter version was reined in tight by a miniskirt in white python, like an extravagant hip-slung cummerbund.
The scion of naval tailors, Barrett is the most intensely disciplined of designers. Here, a tightly edited handful of silhouettes was reproduced in white, black, silver and gold Lurex, black leather, and python (both real and as a print on leather, lasered to provide a properly serpentine texture). It made for a cool, tough collection as cold as the marble sculptures the designer was inspired by. It makes you wonder whether there is a big softy somewhere inside Barrett, just clamoring to get out. It would be interesting to meet that person.
