Give him points for showmanship: For his Fall 2011 presentation, Andrew Buckler shut down an entire block of Soho and walked his darkly dressed boys through the street. (Apparently, getting approval is a long, rather than difficult, bureaucratic process.) The setting was important, Buckler said after the show, because of the theme of the season: the artists "using the streets as their medium to communicate messages."
No more of the 1930's German students who'd occupied him for Spring, in other words. And none the worse for that, really. The mostly somber color scheme put Buckler way afield of many of his compatriots in menswear this season, but basic black isn't bad business. Neither is repeating what's worked before—specifically, a long, layered silhouette, anchored by narrow pants, some skinny through the leg; others with more volume up top before tapering around the knee. They came topped with long, cabled cardigans or tailored jackets that ranged from the casual cotton slub to a few more refined tux options in wool gabardine.
The clearest hint of any street-art style was in the blast of highlighter yellow that came near the end, in paneled jeans and a blazing parka. And like street art, they had an aggressive insistence—even a welcome sort of vulgarity—that the well-behaved rest seemed to lack.
