Live music and Bloody Marys kicked off Billy Reid's brunch-time Spring show, which found the quintessential Southern American menswear designer experimenting more with proportion and fabrics than he ever has before.
"It comes from our customers," Reid said backstage before the show of drapey, skirt-like layers. "We work on the men's and women's together, both on design and textile development, then ultimately it sits in our stores together. And those customers shop together. And they cross-shop. We have guys buying our women's pieces; we have girls buying the men's. And they're wearing them like this. There's something about it that looks super interesting."
The theme here was relaxed. Especially the tailoring, which was done with softened shoulders; boxier, straighter silhouettes; loosened trousers; and flowing, elongated mid layers. These were looks that any guy would appreciate on a 90 degree, humid day in New York. Silk and linen tweed fabrics were wonderfully textured but still appeared light and comfortable; cotton jacquard and embroidered Japanese textiles flowed with baggy shorts. Even heavier fabrics like an industrial weight No.10 duck cloth were washed and distressed to appear summery in shades of tan and blue.
Billy Reid didn't forgo tradition entirely for this collection, but he did firmly establish that he's more versatile and forward-thinking than you might have thought.
