Bernardo Rojo, the designer of Joseph Abboud, set an exciting tone for menswear this coming spring. Vivid, clear, forward, with a hint of the class and fun men, carried themselves with during the ’50s.
The collection consisted of a fantastic color palette, from classic white, grey, black, and denim blues, contrasted with warm yellows, reds lending themselves to salmon hues, and vivid Americana blues.
There were many sports jackets shown, often over a t-shirt or western style button-up. Ranging from linen to wool/cotton blends, and bonded denim – they sported a well-dressed, yet deconstructed look. The denim pieces had pockets with flaps at both the chest and waist. Wider notch lapels were featured on the majority of the sports jackets with the exception of a double-breasted suit with a wide peak lapel, one of the few more formal looking pieces.
“Did you see the trousers?” was the one thing you could hear being consistently whispered throughout those seated around the runway. High-waisted, single pleat pants, tapered downward and rolled up to expose a bit of the ankle. The belts worn were made of fabrics matching the pants.
Only a couple of looks sported neckties, or scarves, giving the collection a relaxed daytime look with the ensembles being worn with simple sneakers.
Topped off with neoprene outerwear jackets in shiny red or bright Americana blue, the models looked traditionally playful, yet modern. Those desiring a more subdued look could easily top off with one of the coated linen jackets in black or perhaps wear something sportier like the neoprene motorcycle jacket.
Photos by John Alston Jr