Count Marcus Wainwright and David Neville among the designers who have dispensed with the fiction of “Resort.” The duo have established their own in-house nomenclature for the Rag & Bone collections they produce or, at least, those that aren’t destined for the runway. This latest Rag & Bone collection was one such retail-focused outing; though Neville and Wainwright likewise eschew buzz phrases like “buy-now-wear-now,” the sporty looks they showed at an appointment were clearly made to be worn in cool weather months when the clothes deliver.
Part of the reason the Rag & Bone boys dislike that buy-now-wear-now phrase is that they figure that, even if their woman is going to wear a sand-toned sheepskin coat right away when she purchases it next November, they also assume she’ll be wearing it later, too. For years hence, ideally. That nubby sheepskin was a fine example of this collection’s relationship to fashion trends—though there were certain au courant details, like the slightly exaggerated sleeves and collar, the coat as a whole read as an item that could see a good deal of use before it began to seem dated. Ditto this collection’s track-inspired trousers, which came in French jersey and tailored wool versions, and its button-down shirtdresses and boyish, oversize knits.
Not that this collection didn’t boast its fashionable flourishes. The cropped pants carried over one of the best Rag & Bone silhouettes from the Fall show, and new trousers, slit at the ankle, had just as much kick. Blanket stripe and magnified buffalo check provided the collection with a sense of rusticity, not to mention some graphic pop; punctured knits gave it its hint of sexuality. By and large, though, Wainwright and Neville didn’t worry themselves about novelty. The emphasis was on fabrication and detail, like the bit of stitch on the back of a coat collar, or the oversize rivets on the waistband of a pair of jeans. These were clothes meant not to catch the eye, but the heart.
