FASHION : Bottoms Up for Spring : Designers settle on pants that graze the floor for the hip-hop and grunge crowds. But plain-front, fitted trousers can also be had.
Men still put on their pants one leg at a time. But the way they are ultimately worn this spring could mean the difference between passing yourself off as a sexy sailor and standing out in a crowd as a sloppy Joe.
That’s because the American designers who previewed their new spring collections as part of the Men’s Fashion Assn. shows at the Biltmore Hotel over the weekend are defining the key looks this season--hip-hop and grunge, nautical and natty naturals--by the cut of a man’s trousers. That accomplished, everything else falls into place.
Young men opting for the hip-hop/grunge looks by such makers as Cross Colours, Na Na, Tag Rag and Fresh Jive, for instance, will be wearing their pants at the lowest point on the waist that decency will allow.
In some collections, the cuffs are rolled; in others, they dangle under the heels of the shoes. An oversized striped T-shirt, a knit cap, excessive jewelry and a baggy jean jacket complete the look.
“We owe a lot of the success of this look to the influence of labels like Cross Colours,” said Joe Sapienza, product development manager for JC Penney, who came to look for future inspiration in the collections.
“I think the merchandise is not as obscure and fringe as most people might think. Young men’s sportswear represents 16% of our total sales last year. That’s a dramatic increase, and a lot of it is due to this urban streetwear influence.”
On the other hand, if the modestly tame collections of Alexander Julian, Perry Ellis, Nautica, Mondo di Marco or Jhane Barnes better suit your style, you’ll want to trade in your pleated pants for plain-front trousers that hug the waist and taper at the ankle.
Many designers are showing this new, slim-fitting silhouette as part of a nautical influence that includes bold stripes, naval crests and waterproof fabrics. These pants are often paired with a coordinating-but-not-matching unconstructed jacket or a nylon blouson, casual vest or lightweight multicolored sweater.
For those caught in the cross-fire, a new category of natty naturals combines elements of both looks into soft, slouchy sportswear that is easily wearable by men of all ages. Defined by the soft, neutral, desert-colors palette and shown by such newcomers as Wallace Muroya, Joseph Abboud and Lat Naylor for Think Tank (winner of this year’s Marty Designer of the Year Award), these sophisticated sportswear pieces represent many designers’ interpretations of the future of business dressing.
“We’re leaning toward a more emotional, intuitive period in men’s lives, and our clothes reflect that,” San Diego-based Muroya said of his collection, which featured pinched shoulders and lightweight linen fabrics reminiscent of a look first described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in “The Great Gatsby.” “Broad shoulders from the 1980s look very aggressive, competitive and combative, and this new look is much more cooperative.”
