The Tents at Project: My Favorite Brands to Watch

Wishing I was in Vegas this week for the Project trade show, and specifically to check out The Tents. Billed as a new show that offers a highly curated selection of brands, The Tents also happen to include some of my favorite men's brands... so I thought I'd share a few that I wish I was there to see!

Michael Bastian: his ability to weave together a story in one collection is inspiring, moving from beautiful suiting (below) to leather pants and fur lined coats.

Billy Reid: continues to bring the Southern gentleman to points North and West, and does so with increasing success. A favorite look from his recent show, I loved the color and texture of these pants for Fall.

Ian Velardi: Bringing together luxury + comfort with his smoking jackets, sweatpants, and tailored pieces. 

Todd Snyder: I left his presentation totally blown away -- he definitely took the collection to a darker place, but it remained refined and beautifully executed. This coat with shearling collar was by far my favorite piece from Fall. 

Public School: I've been a fan of these guys since they launched, and the accolades keep coming. There is always a dark palette and a street wear eye that they stay true and consistent to. 

Grayers: A recent discovery, I'm so intrigued by another Southern based brand, Grayers. Bringing a casual look with a great attention to detail, at an accessible price these guys have gone after an interesting part of the men's market. Cannot wait to see what they deliver for Fall '13!

Stay tuned for how my favorite brands fare this week in Vegas, and check out the Project site for more information on the show. 

Ian Velardi Fall 2013: NYFW Review

Braving the onset of Winter Storm Nemo, last night I made my way to Lincoln Center for the Fall 2013 collection by Ian Velardi. Recently named as the menswear winner for Ecco Domani's Fashion Foundation Award, and a nominee for GQ's Best New Menswear Designer of the Year, Velardi is establishing himself as a strong player in the men's space.

For Fall he continued this streak with a mix of American influenced tailored comfort -- beautiful jackets shown with sweatpants, "USA" emblazoned sweatshirts and hats, and outerwear equally suitable for Manhattan or Maine.

What I loved most about this collection was Velardi's continuation of belted jackets -- in Fall '12 it was the quilted robe, and now it is the smoking jacket. Here is my favorite look, the cord smoking jacket (with satin lapel, naturally) worn with a chambray military shirt, flannel pants and an ivory beanie. Talk about confident sophistication.

The smoking jacket was also done in a tartan plaid, with the navy lapel. I'm always a sucker for a good tartan, so it would be a tough call on which of these I'd take home (is there room for both?). Worn with grey panel sweatpants, a cashmere scarf (luxury + comfort), and a USA ballcap.

Part of the lineup -- gives you a sense of the very cool mixing of dressing up, dressing down, and throwing it all together that Velardi put forth.

I am always fascinated by casting and how models are used for different designers. Velardi had Brazilian model Rodrigo Calazans in a rugged look... 

More to come from Ian Velardi and definitely one to watch. 

GQ X Gap Collaboration: Things I Have

Ever since GQ announced this year's Best New Designers in America I've been anxious to see what these designers would create in partnership with Gap, who was the co-sponsor for this year's awards.

The list of those selected included a number of my current favorites: Todd Snyder, Saturdays Surf, Ovadia & Sons, Ian Velardi...  so it was with no small amount of anticipation that I got up today to finally buy some of the pieces at a Gap store.

Since the GQ October issue included a 12 page spread showing all of the pieces available, along with photos of the designers wearing some of them, I had made a mental list of what I was after. And after a brief chat with GQ Fashion Editor Garrett Munce, I ran in and made a grab!

First up was this ampersand sweatshirt in green, from Saturdays Surf. These guys have far expanded from their well known line of tees, but the icon hash mark or the constant play on their logo have given them an easily identifiable visibility. The sweatshirt's simplicity is its brilliance and it fit me perfectly.

Next on my list were the cargo pants from Todd Snyder. I can't seem to stop talking about this guy and how much I enjoy his well designed and crafted collections. I threw these on and they were slim but with enough room to move around. And I grabbed a 30 inch length to keep them a little above the ankle.

The other TS item I'd been eyeing was this uber-soft and perfect for Fall patch crewneck sweatshirt. Even though I knew it would fit I tried it on in the store and decided it may bump my James Perse sweatshirt out of the "most comfortable thing I own" category.

There were a lot of other pieces I could've grabbed but tried to restrain myself. Be sure to get online or to a nearby Gap store to check it all out for yourself!