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It’s been a decade since Michael Bastian last showed his eponymous and much-loved menswear line at New York Fashion Week. And it’s been almost that long since Brooks Brothers — the 200-year-old American heritage brand famous for dressing presidents including Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Kennedy and cultural power houses including Andy Warhol, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Clark Gable — last showed either. Which is just to say that their mutual return to the NYFW calendar is long overdue. So… was the wait worth it?
Absolutely.
Of course, if you were hoping for a collection of sharply tailored banker suits and slick overcoats, you’ll probably be disappointed. Brooks brothers certainly makes those — and they sell a hell of a lot of them — but that’s not what this show was about. There was suiting of course, no Brooks brother’s collection would be complete without it, but this isn’t my father’s Brooks Brothers. And that’s not a bad thing.
The collection was inspired by Monaco in the early 1980s, when pop culture, classic Americana and Riviera style cross-pollinated in an interesting international way. The women’s looks utilizing the same styling codes as the men’s — fluid and easy.
The show opened with a richly textured white cotton sweater tucked into matching white shorts, styled with a pristing pair of blown leather loafers and a baby blue t-shirt for a pop of color around the neck — a perfect summer outfit any number of wealthy, preppy men would wear in a heartbeat on a crisp summer evening in Martha’s Vinyard, Fire Island, or, indeed, Monaco.
It was followed by a double breasted brown suit with peaked lapels and soft construction through the shoulders that was equal parts easy and refined.
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
A women’s look of matching brown and cream striped separates under a crisp white blazer felt fresh and wearable, while a double breasted cream pinstripe suit looked wonderfully chic and luxurious thanks to the generous proportions of its pants and an artfully upturned collar.
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
The prints were perhaps less successful, though the madras plaids, long a signature of Bastian’s work, were excellent, especially patched together in shades of blue and cream.
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Outfits of layered rugby shirts and and broadcloth shirts in pastel and sorbet hues felt playful and young, and the brightly colored anoracks that closed the show were very appealing thanks layered as they were with sweaters and blazers and polo shirts.
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
Brooks Brothers Spring 2027
“To me, the real beauty of this collection is how simple, classic pieces can come together in unexpected ways. Of course you can reference the strong color blocking, the layering and general ‘80s vibe, but the real magic ingredient to any Brooks Brothers collection is always going to be how you use these perfect classic items to create your own personal style. This is what makes ‘classic’ feel modern and new again, ” said Bastian.
Absolutely.
Check out the rest of the collection below.
You can view the original article HERE.
