Joseph Abboud NYFW Fall 2019 Menswear

When is the last time you looked at a menswear collection and thought of the words: dapper, natty, grown up, handsome, rakish, haberdashery, and a slew of other adjectives that are as rare a hen’s teeth for most collections.

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Let’s go a step further and speak of the casting of men... men who look like men … some men who could easily be called movie star handsome and men who actually looked natural wearing these clothes.

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Do not think these clothes are for everyone… not for a second but these clothes remind you of why there is such a thing as NYFW for menswear. I can say  that the  double wrap belt was a bit over used, the layering might have been a tad over the top but how many collections can make a cape look like it fits in and look like a man should or could be wearing it.

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This is a collection that needs to be dissected like a jigsaw puzzle of 1000 pieces. There is so much to be seen and yet with some much going on in each look, the potency seemed to have gotten a bit lost. One can’t argue with the color palette of browns and greys with a touch of navy and of course it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that tailoring is at the core of the collection.

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The outerwear is well … outstanding, the subtle color blocking is beautiful, the subtle pattern and color mixes as well and the very vague non imposing retro references are far from over powering but quite noticeable.  Yes, he was sending out a message about our past with respect to that we are all immigrants of a sort but the over styling at times made one think “what he couldn’t pack he wore on his back”  when coming to America. 

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No matter what the deficits were, the end result remains that this is a men’s collection for men who want to look like men with some flair if they dare... I made a funny, or that even a simple suit can be accessorized to appear trendy and of the moment. Marinate on that if you will!

JOSEPH ABBOUD FALL 2018 MEN'S

I can’t think of the last time the adjective “natty” came to mind and am sure some of you don’t even have a clue what that words means but suffice it to say that in this retail fashion environment it so much  more than just a  passing compliment. 

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Abboud without question is a classicist but he is one those savvy designers who can update classics, tweak them, combine patterns and just change them enough that they look fresh, modern and... Fasten your seat belts now …. Wearable!! Ooooh my bad? I said the dirty word… wearable and not trendy or overloaded with proportional gimmicks or extra sleeves or shrunken pants or oversized jackets and shirts. So in my estimation the  general consensus will be that the collection is okay but not great when in fact it was superb… wonderfully modern and ageless. Clothes that can actually be worn by men of all ages who love fashion and yet don’t want to look like freaks when they hit the streets… oh the thought of it!

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Okay so some will say it is 50 shades of gray and I say it is 100 ways for men to look elegant, tasteful. Refined, dapper and yes natty much in the way Carry Grant once did. Some might say that Abboud is of the Ralph Lauren school of menswear but I find Abboud more in touch with the times than Lauren.

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Did I like it?? No… I adored it!

Joseph Abboud NYFW fall 2017 menswear

Let's make this short, sweet and to the point :

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Slick…  chic…  debonair …  sexy…  grown up…  sophisticated…  elegant…  stylish…  urbane…  natty…  ageless…  fashionable… refined…   luxurious…  insouciant … timeless…  well cast… put together… shades of grey… subtle patterning… layers… 

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Well… there’s a combination of words that I have hardly ever used all together in one review except to point out what a collection is not! … Sad but true BUT Bravo Joseph Abboud and thanks for being true to menswear for men of any age in a most tasteful way.

 

Joseph Abboud Fall 2016 NYFW

While a fawning, ad money obsessed and overly trend conscious, yet under educated,  media is busy oohing and aaahing and gooing over more unwearable silly clothes there was a collection that appeared and it was all about menswear.. You remember menswear... Worn by men... Not boys... Men... Men of style and taste... Men who knew their way around a suit or jacket... Men who opt for classic and not boring and stray from the laughable excuses presented day after... Yes that man!  And yes clothes that don’t require some thesis to explain why they look the way they do! One might even say there is something very Italian dandy going on here! PS look at the models!! Did you see anyone who was barely old enough to shave or look like they needed a cheeseburger?

 

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Little attention is paid to a collection and a veteran designer such as Joseph Abboud for fear the critic might be deemed old fashioned or fusty but it has not gone unnoticed by the likes of me. Abboud, without question, made a visual statement of sartorial splendor using shades of grey and lots of them and with textures, a variety of silhouettes, jackets, lapels, fabrications and with a heavy dose of swagger and slick. The shoes, the tilt of the hat, the accessories, the layering; it all spelled out a major fashion statement that wreaked of possibly the Duke of Windsor and the peacocks of another era without looking dated; one might even say urbane or continental! I am sure there are those who will see this kind of  “look” as contrived but I’ll take this over another bomber or another oversized sweater or another thrift shop inspired trendy look.

 

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If you are in possession of a keen eye  or, well, just a good memory, you might have noticed a slight nod to Etro, an arc closured vest that registered Armani or maybe it just all looked the way one would hope that men might once again look this good. Without doubt most will say... oh him or boring... well... I say kudos and Bravo! Thank you carrying on the tradition or what was once a standard for classic menswear. BTW… thanks for a real and genuine collection!

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