The idea of "day-to-night" dressing conjures up images of a woman throwing on some loud costume jewelry to render her work outfit cocktail-hour-appropriate. But when it comes to guys, the concept is a bit of a head-scratcher. Is there a man you know who's going to pin a bit of flair to his lapel to make his outfit "evening-worthy"?
Be that as it may, the DKNY men's team started with the day-to-night concept for Fall, imagining its guy moving around the city: uptown to downtown, east to west, crack-of-dawn to sunset. "We imagined him going to work, but also out to play," said designer Garry Martin. To achieve that "wear anywhere, anytime" feeling, Martin and co. worked mainly in a palette of blues and browns and created pieces that could easily be mixed and matched. A double-breasted jacket in a Prince of Wales check, for instance, was styled with copper-colored, cropped trousers instead of its matching pant. Other blazers were quilted just enough to add warmth but not enough to add bulk. These were great stand-alone pieces that will serve the DKNY customer well but might also attract some new ones. The printed shirts—a painterly dot, a photographic cityscape—on the other hand, were a bit too busy for an urban dweller. Peeking out from under a sweater, they could add some humor. But worn alone with a trouser—or even a tie and blazer—the only place they belonged was in a nightclub.
As always with DKNY, there were techy elements as well, built to both impress and perform. A nanotech slate-blue wool topper was water- and stain-resistant, yet dressy enough to wear over a suit. And the clear-plastic iPhone pocket in a few of the blazers has truly useful touch-screen capabilities. Those things are only fun when they actually work.
