September 7, 2008

Patrik Ervell's original position on menswear was archetypal Americana, but in the end that was a restriction for him. He talked about his latest collection drawing on "fabrics from English tennis clubs" (wool-linen blends, apparently) and Ettore Sottsass' Milanese furniture design collective, Memphis, in the eighties. The offshore influences clearly liberated Ervell. "Dynamism of pattern"—that's how he described it. And he was right: The patchwork of stripes in the hoodie of the opening outfit immediately echoed Sottsass et al., and stripes were a recurring and dynamic motif in jackets, pants, and shirts. They came in every width, from mattress ticking to pinstripe to awning.

There was a time when restraint was almost a curse for Ervell (like last season, for instance), but the profligacy of stripes said those days were gone. So did the generous proportions of an ivory cotton suit. The designer's knack for peculiar tech fabrics reached new heights with the filmy overlay on a blouson, and the poncho that flew away in points like angel's wings. In the past, Ervell has been shy of decoration. He's clearly over that, too. It wasn't just the delicate little boutonnieres, or the ruffle-fronted Desi Arnaz shirts. The polo entirely covered with mother-of-pearl buttons had a dandy zap that was reminiscent of Duckie Brown's more extreme flights of fancy. And that's one more thing to be grateful for in New York's burgeoning menswear scene: the ability to balance sweater-and-jeans pragmatism with a freefall into full-on glamour.

— Tim Blanks