New York Fashion Week: Gilded Age, Duckie Brown and Libertine

This post has been updated and corrected. See the note below for details.

The first handful of fall and winter 2012 menswear shows and presentations at New York Fashion Week were a mixed bag.

First out of the gate, on Wednesday, was Gilded Age, with a collection inspired by the early years of motorcycle racing, which, in addition to a range of beautifully distressed and weathered looking leather jackets, included hand-sanded and overdyed selvage denim, chunky sweaters and biker-worthy T-shirts.

But the big news for the brand, founded by principal director and creative director Stefan Miljanic, was the addition of footwear to mix, with Gilded Age's take on classic American boot styles being handmade in Missouri as part of an ongoing collaboration with Chippewa Boots. (Because the co-branded footwear wasn't ready in time for the Feb. 8 presentation, Ugg Australia stepped in to provide shoes for the models.)

More collaboration news wasn't far behind. On Thursday, less than an hour before Duckie Brown's runway show took place, Perry Ellis International announced that a collaborative effort with the Duckie duo of Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, called Perry Ellis by Duckie Brown, will make its debut at September's round of New York Fashion Week shows, and hit retail for spring 2013. It marks the first apparel collaboration for both companies, though Duckie Brown has had a long-running hit with co-branded Florsheim footwear.

But Duckie Brown's fall and winter 2012 runway collection was all them. Dubbed "Super Duckie," it served up super-sized, side-pleated trousers; trim, tailored, double-breasted jackets; slouchy sweaters; and chunky caps. The collection was heavy on the herringbones, Donegal tweeds and buffalo checks with a color palette rooted in black and shades of gray with the occasional accent of orange of purple, most notable in an exploded plaid pattern overcoat. The combination of the voluminous silhouette and gray plaid pattern gave several pieces a pajamas-as-streetwear vibe, an effect only heightened by the Edward Scissorhands bedhead hairstyles supported by many of the models.

Libertine, which sent men's and women's looks down the runway, applied a liberal dose of pailletes, sequins and dime-sized, flat-head studs to both. The men's side of the collection included a range of vintage-looking outerwear pieces -- varsity jackets, leather motorcycle jackets, overcoats and blazers embellished with embroidery, the aforementioned studding or a stippled ombre effect. 

But it was the women's pieces that were the most memorable -- and labor intensive -- with delicate black lace dresses, paillette tree branches snaking across blouses and dress sleeves, and lots of outerwear pieces studded with hardware.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Top photos: Menswear looks from the fall and winter 2012 runway collections of, Gilded Age, left, Duckie Brown, center, and Libertine, shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

Bottom photo: Ugg Australia's Hannen workboot as worn by a model at the Gilded Age presentation. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

[For the record, 8:42 a.m. Feb. 13: An earlier version of this post identified the brand of footwear in a photograph as Chippewa Boots. The brand was Ugg Australia.] 

Your Morning Fashion & Beauty Report: Marilyn Monroe's dress, Duckie for dames, Andy Roddick apparel

The "subway dress" worn by Marilyn Monroe (whose 85th birthday would have been June 1) in "The Seven Year Itch," is expected to fetch between $1 million and $2 million at a June 18 auction of Debbie Reynold's extensive collection of Hollywood costumes. [All the Rage] 

Duckie Brown, the 10-year-old menswear line designed by Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, is launching a women's collection this fall, and according to fashion-industry trade paper WWD, the 17-piece collection, to be called Mrs. Brown, is anchored in knitwear and "puts the spotlight on a girl's cool inner tomboy." Sounds just Duckie to us. [WWD, subscription required]

With a blog, a new cookbook, the occasional "Glee" appearance, a Grammy performance (that included Muppets!) and her grinning visage plastered on the cover of this month's Bon Appétit, it's difficult to imagine any corner of the universe left untouched by the stylish Gwyneth Paltrow. And it just got a little bit more difficult -- our compatriots over at the Ministry of Gossip warn us that the Lady G is all up in the Twitterverse now. So far, the day-old @GwynethPaltrow has but two tweets -- and one of those mentions Coldplay. We just hope she'll answer us when we ask #whatareyouwearing? or #arethoseManolos? [Ministry of Gossip]  

Professional tennis player Andy Roddick plans to launch a signature collection of performance apparel in collaboration with French label Lacoste, a brand he's been endorsing for the last six years. Consisting of polos, jackets, tennis shorts, track pants and track jackets ranging in price from $85 to $185, the collection is slated to be available at Lacoste.com on July 1 and sold in brick-and-mortar Lacoste boutiques worldwide. And don't shed any crocodile tears for the Lacoste logo -- it's staying put. Roddick's logo -- which, according to WWD, involves both his scripted signature and a silhouette of the tennis star midserve -- appears on the lower right hem of jackets and polo shirts. [WWD, subscription required]

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-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Tennis star Andy Roddick, shown here in a March 13, 2011, file photo, is launching a 17-piece signature collection of performance apparel with French label Lacoste. Credit: Darron Cummings / Associated Press

 

New York Fashion Week: It's twist and slouch at Duckie Brown

The Duckie Brown menswear collection that hit the runway at Lincoln Center on the opening day of Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week was full of slouchy, roomy, twisted and asymmetrical garments, from the opening look, which paired a pair of gray flannel wrap trousers with a baggy sweater designed with the armholes pitched forward (resulting in a look that was somewhere between hobo clothes and a straightjacket), to the camel-colored cashmere wrap coat and deep V-neck sweater and generously cut eight-pleat trousers that closed the show.

By using a subdued color palette heavy on the shades of gray (smoke gray, charcoal gray) with white, black and one or two pops of cornflower blue, the Duckie duo of Steven Cox and Daniel Silver let the texture of the garments take center stage.

In addition to flannels, herringbones, twills and tweeds, there were shaggy shearling jackets, textured overcoats, corduroy trousers, and a speckly, nubbled fabric that appeared on sweaters and jackets.

There were two memorable pieces that took the notion of texture to opposite extremes. The first was a pearl sweatshirt -- not pearl-colored, mind you, but actual strands of the nacre-covered spheres -- and the second was a funnel-neck peacoat printed with a gray twisted sweater pattern that recalled an M.C. Escher print.

Perhaps it'll be the perfect jacket for the guy who feels like he's really been through the wringer.

-- Adam Tschorn in New York

Duckie Brown Fall/Winter 2011 runway photo gallery

Photos: Looks from the Duckie Brown Fall/Winter 2011 runway collection shown on Feb. 10, 2011, during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Florsheim by Duckie Brown steps into women's shoes

While I was in Paris to see the men's fall and winter 2011-2012 runway collections, I popped into the Capsule show (a showcase for fashion brands that's organized in a trade-show-booth format ) to get an early look at the collections brands would be showing during the upcoming New York Fashion Week in mid-February.

That's where I discovered that for fall, the Florsheim by Duckie Brown men's footwear line would be expanding its footwear offerings to include two styles of women's shoes.

At launch, the women's collection will include a brogue (set to retail around $415) and a saddle shoe ($300), with each style available in about a half-dozen colors. Among the most eye-catching on display were the metallic brogues (pewter or gold) and a black saddle shoe with a perforated lace design.

The collaboration between the Florsheim footwear brand and Duckie Brown designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox also plans to add a line of brightly colored socks to the product mix for fall and winter 2011.

-- Adam Tschorn, reporting from Paris

Photos: For fall and winter 2011, the men's footwear collaboration between Florsheim and Duckie Brown will expand into women's with saddle shoes (above left, $300) and brogues (above right, $415). Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times.

Fashion infestation: Bedbugs are so hot right now

This whole New York City bedbug thing seems to have legs, and the little critters are cropping up all over the pop-culture landscape these days -- most recently in an episode of HBO's "Bored to Death." Before that, they invaded the Sept. 27 New Yorker cover.

And maybe it's just me, but it seems like Cimex lectularius has spent less time under the mattresses of Manhattan, and more time making its way into the fashion fold.

First there was the high-profile closures of an Abercrombie & Itch store (sorry, I meant "Fitch"), and a Victoria's Secret boutique (I think we know the secret now ...) and a couple of Niketowns. The bugs also apparently made their way into the offices of Elle magazine.

The bedbug invasion even managed to hit the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. At least the black-and-white insect-print shirts that Duckie Brown included on the catwalk looked like they depicted bedbugs ("Damn it, Jim, I'm an etymologist, not an entomologist!").

In light of such high-profile cameos in the clothing business, I think we might be ready to add a new nickname to an already lengthy list that includes monikers such as "mahogany flat" (which sounds like it should be the name of an a capella singing group), "crimson rambler" (which sounds like an awesome vintage car), "heavy dragoon," and -- my personal favorite --"red coats."

It's just too bad that "fashion bug" is already taken.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: A spring-summer 2011 runway look from Duckie Brown, shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavvson / For The Times

New York Fashion Week: Men get the bold shoulder

A pair of men's shows on the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York put the bold shoulder front and center, with color blocking and harness-like straps.

First up was Duckie Brown, which served up a riot of mad plaids, with punk-flavored super-slim tartan trousers and square-shouldered suit jackets and outerwear pieces. The Duckie duo's signature pops of color were served up in solid, scarlet-hued bomber jackets, three-quarter-length overcoats and trousers, and as accenting pieces like a navy wool jacket with a color-blocked lemon-yellow yoke.

Closing out the first day in the Bryant Park tents was the debut collection of Mik Cire. If the name doesn't sound familiar, try spelling it backward and you'll realize it spells "Eric Kim," a designer who has been showing the Monarchy Collection at the Bryant Park tents for the last few seasons.

Kim, who co-founded the Monarchy premium denim label six years ago (and who sold it to Hartmarx Corp. in 2007) resigned as designer and CEO of  Monarchy just last month, and Mik Cire is his second act. 

Inspired by the Doughboy of World War I, the collection was heavy on the military and equestrian influences with a dash of rock 'n' roll swagger thrown in; motorcycle jackets, suede, double-breasted peacoats, spats and tall boots festooned with straps and buckles. The color palette was heavy on the blacks, olives and taupes.

Many of the outerwear pieces had tone-on-tone harness-like straps that ran across each scapula and framed the shoulders the way a shoulder holster might. Backstage after the show, Kim explained that these "slingshots," as he called them, were actually a way to alter the look of the jacket.

"There are snap buttons inside the side pockets so you can adjust the jacket in to give it a slimmer, more tailored look, or you can adjust it the other way for a looser fit."

He said his new venture was about making the kind of clothes he himself would wear. "I wanted to do something a little adventurous, a little outside the box. I think there's a need for something for guys that pushes the envelope a little bit but doesn't make you look like a clown."

It'll be interesting to see how men respond to Kim's sartorial middle path; will they embrace it or give it the cold shoulder?

Time will tell.

-- Adam Tschorn in New York

More from the Mik Cire fall/winter 2010 collection

More from the Duckie Brown Fall/Winter 2010 collection

PHOTOS: Celeb sightings at fall 2010 New York Fashion Week

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Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photos: Two looks from the Fall/Winter 2010 menswear collections of Duckie Brown (left) and the debut collection of Mik Cire (right) by Eric Kim, the former designer and CEO of Monarchy. Both labels presented their runway collections in the Bryant Park tents Feb. 11, 2010. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times.

Video: Serving up a softer side of Duckie Brown for spring/summer 2010

NEW YORK -- Over the last few seasons, Duckie Brown seems to have been dressing its men for battle -- heavy, workwear-like pieces and padded elbow jackets that could do double duty in a skate park.

But for their spring/summer 2010 runway collection, which was shown on the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week here, designers Steven Cox and Daniel Silver sent a simple, straightforward collection of lightweight shorts and gauzy shirts down the catwalk.

The show invite proclaimed "Duckie Days Are Here Again," and it was hard not to see a message of optimism -- the sun peeking out from behind the clouds -- in the gray-based color palette rendered in nubby looking tweeds, windowpane checks and draped jersey, punctuated with pops of vivid blue, yellow and orange. Much of the color came from the eye-catching suede lace-up shoes that are part of the ongoing Florsheim by Duckie Brown footwear collaboration, and the rest from the diaphanous short-sleeve shirts -- some in bold solids; others in exploded checks in sun-faded shades.

There was nary a long trouser in the lot, and many of the shorts sent down the runway had curious details, most noticeably pooched-out fabric at the hip that at first glance looked like pants pockets turned  inside out (an apt metaphor for the current state of the economy, whether intentional or not) and the kind of large floppy bow that's become a Lanvin signature flourish.

No clowning around: Duckie Brown does Ronald McDonald gloves

  Fresh on the heels of their shoe collaboration with Florsheim, the design duo at Duckie Brown are sticking their fingers even further into American pop culture by designing -- wait for it -- a limited-edition Ronald McDonald glove collection that will be unveiled during the upcoming New York Fashion Week.

Before your head explodes at the thought of Duckie's interpretation of the clown mascot's traditionally bright yellow gloves emblazoned with the Golden Arches, we're informed the gloves are more subtle than that -- inspired by the gloves worn by bicycle messengers, done in a stretch fabric and offered in black, dark gray, light gray, sand, pale pink and gold. (Well, that's almost yellow, right?)

Yes, it's obviously a continuation of McDonald's shameless campaign to woo the fashion flock over to its McCafé coffee drinks that began last season -- but we're mentioning it here anyway because of the charity angle -- it's to mark the 35th anniversary of the first Ronald McDonald House, the fast-food giant's philanthropic effort that, among other things, provides lodging for the families of hospitalized children. One hundred percent of proceeds from sales of the gloves will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RHMC).

A private unveiling for select media* is scheduled for Sept. 10 (at the McCafé lounge in the lobby of the Bryant Park tents, naturally), hosted by Duckie's designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox and actress Holly Robinson-Peete. We'll post a photo as soon after that as possible.

Starting the same day, the general public can order a pair for a suggested $50 donation by contacting @McCafeYourDay on Twitter.

Who knows -- if the gloves are a hit, maybe next time the boys can give us their take on the Hamburglar's black-and-white prison stripes or some purple Grimace-inspired jodhpur pants.

-- Adam Tschorn

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo: A look from the Duckie Brown Fall 2009 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City in February. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter

[*UPDATED 9/3/09 5:00 pm: the gloves will be unveiled for select, invited media only, not the general public -- sorry random tent dwellers.][UPDATED 9/4/09 10:15 am: This morning, the folks at RHMC sent along a sketch of the gloves -- click on it to see a larger version.]

A Confederacy of Duckie Brown's Florsheim

A mainstay brand of many an American dad's shoe rack, Florsheim is making a bid for a new generation via New York design outfit Duckie Brown. Your father might recognize Florsheim by Duckie Brown's classic styles -- wing tips, French-toe brogues and loafers -- but this time they're rendered in eye-popping colors including purple and electric blue.

Confederacy's sole control: Duckie Brown/Florsheim exclusive 'til August

The Florsheim by Duckie Brown men's footwear collaboration has been on our radar for more than a year and a half now -- ever since models hit the runway at New York fashion week in September 2007, and the the idea of mashing up the staid, old school shoe brand with the contemporary, sometimes edgy aesthetic and quirky sense of  humor of Duckie duo Daniel Silver and Steven Cox has had me chomping at the bit.