Google Rod Stewart and legwarmers and you will find the image that kick-started Barnabé Hardy’s second men’s collection for Carven. There were other cues, too, including the Space Invaders arcade game; but detecting the presence of pixelated critters within the knitwear patterning would have been more difficult than spotting the street art–tiled versions in New York or Paris. And anyway, knowing these references wouldn’t much influence your opinion of the clothes, which proved youthful and appealing, in style and substance.
Rather than seizing too heavily on a late ’70s moment, Hardy painted over his nostalgia with bold gestures of color. He also resisted retro styling, streamlining jackets in Donegal tweed and adding just enough slouch to the corresponding pants. Mostly though, suiting took a supporting role to the sweaters and outerwear, both of which offered enough points of interest to bookmark for a later date. The graphic zigzag flocked, quilted, and printed on coats, for instance, revealed a small skateboarder and his restless trail. Meanwhile, Hardy allowed his knits to invade all sorts of unfamiliar spaces: the outer sides of slacks, shawl collars on jackets, and over-sleeves. Those arm warmers, coupled with the never-ending scarves, signaled a deliberate decision against anything serious; perhaps that’s why the looks landed somewhere between Wes Anderson and The College Dropout–era Kanye West.
Incidentally, the presentation took place against a backdrop of screens featuring digital pattern animations by artist Justin Morin, possibly underscoring that this comfy, cool collection has a place in the future. For the Parisian creatives who were in the crowd, all vocalizing their praise, that future can’t come soon enough.
