The kingpin of apres surf wear strikes again – Thaddeus O’Neil, known for his relaxed, beach-bum chic collections, takes us on a journey to an isolated, tropical island and leaves us shipwrecked with his lost boys, his Children of the Night. Bloody noses, lips, and eyes don’t stop these boys from strutting down the runway with their passive and stoic bravado. Pineapple prints and loose knits belie the look in their eyes.
A second-round takes us past the hard exterior to show a raucous group of young men rough-housing joyously in their relaxed fit chambray, and the hibiscus printed board shorts seem less of a stark contrast against their now-cheery demeanor. The band plays on.
The darker tone O’Neil highlights in his Spring/Summer 2016 runway show doesn’t take away from the care with which his garments are designed or constructed. The relaxed structuring of the box blazer flows well with the loose-knit hoodies. Pineapple prints balance chambray trenches. Color, while evident in a range of aqua, teal, grey and yellow, are not the main focus – rather texture commands the attention here. Loose threads protrude from seams in a seemingly overly-careless oversight. But the temporary tattoo of a fish on the back of a model’s knee shows that O’Neil pays close attention to the tiniest detail – perhaps those frayed ends are loose ends never meant to be tied up. Perhaps you’ll be rescued by a search party at sea – perhaps you’ll be stranded here with the lost boys, the Children of the Night, forever. Either way, O’Neil has you covered.