“There’s too much separation between reality and runway sometimes,” said Rag & Bone’s Marcus Wainwright of his decision to cancel the catwalk and, instead, reveal his Fall collection via an exhibition of numerous portraits (ranging from Joan Smalls to Jerry Seinfeld) shot by Glen Luchford and Frank Lebon. “The project was designed knowing we were going to have to dress a lot of real people—doing a runway show seemed tone-deaf. It’s just not relevant for us anymore.”
Real people is a phrase commonly—if not overly—uttered in fashion, but for Rag & Bone, its usage is valid. The company has a far and wide, accessible reach, and within its menswear component, that wingspan is further informed by a “timeless approach. Whereas for womenswear, there’s a more seasonal shift . . . with men’s, it’s all about constantly perfecting the key pieces,” said Wainwright.
For Fall, that sharpening hit high notes in its return to a tenet of tailoring, military, and workwear—Rag & Bone is best, ultimately, when it strikes these keys. (Wainwright can do broodier streetwear, but this mix is truer to form.) See: a camel topcoat with a black contrast collar, inspired by the designer’s grandfather’s classics from Savile Row; a reinterpreted English special forces field jacket; a great camo knit cardigan; and greater-yet denim utility pieces. One won’t ever find anything groundbreaking in a Rag & Bone lineup, but that’s fine. “Real people” want real clothes.
