The staying power of Ilan Chétrite’s Sandro man is that the clothes are direct; they are more than seeable in any number of day-to-day scenarios. For Spring, his show notes had multiple usages of the word timeless, and for the contemporary market, these garments really were the kinds of wardrobe components built to last—void of flash trendiness or brash gimmick. That’s the Sandro m.o., and he’s committed to it.
As far as inspiration goes, there were jazz references, and nods to the character Aloysius Parker from Jim Jarmusch’s Permanent Vacation. (Ironically, The Kooples’s Spring collection was kickstarted, albeit in a different direction, by the same filmmaker.) Jackets had epaulets on rounded shoulders; faded and bleached jeans were cut loose and a little bit short; striped ’50s bowling shirts featured prominently. Chétrite admitted to stepping out of his comfort zone with a saffron yellow linen suit—but it too was the kind of thing that’ll stick around in your closet for years. And finally, there was a touch of print—tropical koi in composition, so vaguely Japanese in tone. All in all: clean and steady.
