Brooks Brothers is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2018. That’s led the brand to a certain level of introspection—dig through 200 years and you’re sure to come up with a lot of references worth revisiting. But rather than wax poetic on the past, the womenswear team led by Zac Posen is injecting Brooks classics like gingham, shirting, and that unfettered yacht-club spirit with a newfound sense of play.
The jumping off point for Resort was an image of Helen Frankenthaler perched on a sea wall, her head covered in a coral scarf, and another of her on the cover of Time magazine, framed by her drip paintings. Her arty influence is apparent in the collection’s palette, with cornflower blues, butter yellows, and tomato reds taken directly from her work. The overall spirit of the collection is livelier—and lovelier. A floral print designed by Pierre Marie has hidden hula girls within floral wreaths, while a nautical knit is intarsia’ed with lovebirds. Lurex makes several shimmering appearances, as does denim as trim on an indigo tweed suit. If a field of floral jacquard feels perfectly proper, Posen and co. have made sure to offer it alongside a pink gingham suit with curved hems that is more Elle Woods than Vivienne Kensington. Neither of those Legally Blonde heroines made it to the Brooks Brothers mood board, but they would have fit in nicely. They’re exactly the type of insouciantly proper, Harvard-bred It girls that will become the Brooks Brothers customers of the next 200 years.
