ENGINEERED GARMENTS (Daiki Suzuki)
Last Season:
In F/W ‘11, vests tie everything together. Layering and heavy wind-stopping materials allow the traveling urban fellow to shed and breathe as needed.
Dark, dreary, muted hues (leather, thick wool outers) are broken up by odd elements like large polka dots on wool herringbone, or spring florals in clean yellows and pinks that emerge from pitch black cotton shirting. We are familiar with Oxford suiting but pleasantly surprised when it is used for a cinch pant.
This play on old world flamboyance completely removes the man from his cubicle and sends him into flight on perhaps, a teleconference, that goes very well.
Visually, the focal point shifts a few times while surveying these ensembles because the choice of fabric, pattern and construction often defy our expectations, forcing us to recalibrate what we see.
Twill tape drawstrings on hoodies are almost as wide as ribbons. A down body vest is a soft, seamless panel quilted horizontally where buttons ought to be. Rounded shirt collars are worn with sharp suiting and rugged bottoms. The shoes are impeccable.
Is our gentleman a hobo or a dandy? Scrutinizing the details, he is neither. Daiki Suzuki’s designs snap into focus when we see a variety of jackets paired with matching vests. Vests taper the midsection and free up the jacket to stay open (casual) or closed (formal). There is a well curated series of proportions to choose from and many possible configurations.
Urban Requirements:
Demands on the city dweller’s clothing are multitudinous: dodging past morning throngs, fielding impromptu drop-ins, costuming up to speak from a pulpit or to mingle interactively; all the while moving quickly from point to point on the paved grid.
Suzuki’s early influence taken from heritage American workwear shows in his liberal use of distress techniques and reinforced stitching on outerwear. The labels he oversees are produced in Hell’s Kitchen, which is in the same neighborhood as his studio and Nepenthes, a retail store dedicated to Engineered Garments as well as other Japanese brands.
The result is a display of traditional, even antiquated, silhouettes updated with a modern, artful twist that serves to soften the jarring effect a 19th century style shirt might otherwise have in a gritty, 21st century urban landscape. Ultimately, the wearer is left to deliberate on a mash-up to stun his audience.
This Season:
Vests are a layering staple that carry forward into S/S ‘12 where the theme takes a turn for poetic escape. S/S ‘12 printed materials by Engineered Garments feature a dignified looking, older set photographed outdoors. The lookbook channels family recreation and remote-login work life.
If the urban terrain is not rugged enough to test the applications of workwear looks, a sunny, woodsy backdrop certainly incites adventure and presents the clothes with opportunities to perform. Again, surprising elements draw the eye to details, challenging our assumptions of time and place.
An oversized pocket sits center front on a slip-over-the-head miner’s shirt. Complete sets, including shirt, tie, vest and jacket are made out of self-fabric in light blue cotton cordlane and seersucker. Strong, sumptuous prints have a wallpaper-like effect, as if a well decorated office interior found its way onto a leafy nature trail. Other bold motifs in the collection take on the form of rich embroideries.
Soft pastel suiting strikes whimsical notes, yet stiff fabrics and severe cuts anchor the pieces with gravitas. Cotton fabrications in various weights, and nylon shells, are climate appropriate.
The S/S ‘12 collection appears, in some instances, to be quite ostentatious. Indeed, a peacock print laid over a buttercup yellow background humorously connects us with notions of male vanity. There is nothing out of place about this though since, as with last season, focused, confident self expression is part of the look.
