Code Bleu’s Denim Is the Mart’s Blue-Ribbon Winner

Seattle-based Code Bleu proved it’s the year of denim--and little else--when the clothing firm won this year’s Marty award, the California Mart’s annual tribute to top West Coast menswear designers.

The firm’s husband-and-wife design team of Mel and Kerry Matsui showed a rainbow of distressed denims with colorful boxer shorts showing underneath.

“I like to be as risky as we can be,” said Kerry Matsui, following last week’s awards show at the Downtown California Mart.

Casual Designs

True to tradition, designers clung to the casual--although this year’s seven nominees didn’t tackle the kind of frenzied pattern-mixing evident in menswear last year.

Newcomer Carl Jones for Surf Fetish featured baggy silk-printed shirts, shorts and knee-busters, the long, long baggy trunks. He was cheered by staff members who themselves arrived in knee-busters, a couple of them toting surfboards.

More serious togs were supplied by John Leitch and Martin Weening of L.A.-based Axis, whose slouchy suits and separates came in muted solids, baby checks and stripes. George Machado for Zylos featured pants, jackets, tank tops and shirts in a khaki, red, blue and white palette.

Other nominees were Michael Tomson for Gotcha, Ben and Sandra Serebreni for Hoopla by Michael Antara and Jeff Hamilton for the line by that name.

Dack Rambo of the TV show “Dallas” emceed--not without touting his new line of celebrity underwear.

More than 1,000 fashion buyers and members of the trade press voted for the Marty winner, based on design, wearability and contribution to the fashion industry. Last year’s choice was another Seattle firm, International News.