Fashion 88 : Ellis Fall Show: Conservative, Casual : Menswear Collection in N.Y. Has Minimalist Approach

At the Perry Ellis show of menswear for fall, a trio of pony skins--jacket, top coat and trousers--appeared like a show-stopping spectacle. Otherwise, the clothes that Brian Bubb designed under the Ellis label were stylish and somewhat low key.

While sport jackets in fuchsia and cornflower blue might seem like more color than most men would wear, they were deep shades that Bubb toned down even further by way of classic gray pants and gray or forest-green turtleneck sweaters.

Turtlenecks all but replaced tailored shirts in this show. With sporty, weekend wear, turtlenecks went under plaid lumberjack shirts and full-cut corduroy pants. Versions of this outdoorsy outfit were completed by construction-worker boots and stocking caps for an All-American collegiate look.

Less Conservative

For less conservative dressers, Bubb styled form-fitting black sweater-knit pants to wear with matching turtlenecks--an apres- ski idea.

One highlight of the dressier casual clothes in the show was an off-white sweater worn with off-white wool crepe pants and a full-cut, ankle-grazing coat in classic camel.

Another elegant look featured pale-gray or beige twin-sweater sets (long cardigan over long turtleneck or polo) with matching trousers. Bubb returned often to monochrome or duo-tone dressing. When he put the look together in pale colors and full, fluid lines, the effect was an air of “The Great Gatsby.”

A number of men in the audience commented after the show that they liked the suits best. They were fuller-cut styles made of lightweight wools. Double-breasted suits in muted plaids were shown with wide-striped shirts and neckties of the same shirting fabric. The ties had diagonal stripes.

Broad-shoulder suit jackets that fit closer at the hips were shown with turtleneck sweaters in black or midnight blue.

Sport jackets in single-button styles were cut from nubby, stone-blue or chocolate-brown wool tweed. For a young, spirited takeoff on a classic look, Bubb showed a windowpane-plaid jacket in black and cream, fitted through the hips, with silky, black gabardine pants.

Sweaters got special attention in this collection. There were bulky-knit pullovers in unexpected yet understated color combinations--some with reindeer or pheasant patterns.

Mufflers at Neckline

The warm-blue, butterscotch and rust creations were sometimes shown with brighter-colored mufflers wrapped at the neckline. Bubb set them off with pleated pants in dark, classic colors, such as charcoal gray.

The outfits--sweaters and pants styled up just a notch with brighter scarfs--made for a rich approach to minimalist dressing.