Harnessing the power and provocation of rock 'n' roll is no easy task, particularly the post-hippie, pre-punk variety. People of a certain generation tend to have strongly held convictions about their rock icons and the vinyl of their youth. Nonetheless, this is the tricky terrain Ennio Capasa ventured into for Costume National's Spring offering.
Capasa looked to the enduring, if safe, pantheon of rock gods. He cited Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger, but he might as well have included Jim Morrison and at least one of member of Led Zeppelin. The collection was, in other words, charmingly loud and acceptably louche, much like those original peacocks. What it lacked in authenticity it made up for in simplicity—that is, if you could look past several styling devices like jauntily tied neckerchiefs, and blazers and trenches draped over shoulders.
While men haven't exactly been clamoring for a seventies rehash, they'll no doubt appreciate the relaxed fit and updated minimalism proposed by Capasa, a skilled reductionist. And while some ideas might have been better left alone—such as a shirtless vest, extra-wide lapels, and flared, front-creased pant legs—the color palette kicked and swaggered in all the right ways. Just shy of neon-bright, monochromatic azure, deep purple, crimson, burnt sienna, and white broke on through to the other side.
