What makes a Matsuda a Matsuda? An Abboud an Abboud?
Signatures.
Like John Hancock and his bold scrawl or e.e. cummings and his lower-keyed, lower-case style, designers put their stamps on fashion with unique flourishes and subtleties.
So, getting back to our first questions: Here`s a look at four menswear designers and the things that make their spring 1992 collections different from the rest.
Joseph Abboud
Spring 1992: The spotlight is on ”sexy clothes.” Abboud experiments with new blends of drapy linen for suits without stiffness.
Background: Boston-born Abboud took his time going solo in the fashion world. First he spent 12 years on the retail side as a buyer, then moved on to design men`s clothing for Polo/Ralph Lauren and Barry Bricken. In 1986, Abboud hung up his own shingle. ”I realized I had something to say that wasn`t already out there,” says the 41-year-old designer.
Design philosophy: Americana, but with an international accent. ”Most American designers are either too Ivy League or mimic Italians,” says Abboud. Carried at: Mark Shale, Syd Jerome, Nordstrom, Marshall Field & Co., Bloomingdale`s.
Prices: Suits start at $820, sport coats at $620 and shirts range from $90 to $200. There are two lower-priced lines-JA II, tailored clothing that runs about 30 percent less than the collection, and J.O.E., rough-and-ready sportswear about 50 percent less.
Pet peeves: ”I don`t like clothing that overpowers a man,” says Abboud. ”I hate floral ties. And conversational prints. They are going to die a big death this fall. There`s nothing worse than seeing a man in a Brooks Brothers suit with a tie that has naked ladies on it.”
Fact and fiction: ”I love your clothes, but I can`t wear brown,” a consumer told Abboud recently. Indeed, the designer`s reputation for earth tones may have gotten out of hand. ”I do more than brown suits,” says Abboud, adding there are lots of blues, golds and ochers in his spring collection. ”They are just ethereal rather than brash colors. I`m not into shocking clothes.”
Andrew Fezza
Spring 1992: A crusade for comfort. Suits are half-lined and shoulder pads resemble those used in women`s blouses instead of heavy, unwieldy canvas ones. Fabrics are also softer, says Fezza, who uses lots of washed and sanded linen.
Background: Fezza graduated from Boston College in a pre-dental program but never pursued tooth doctoring. After a crash course at the venerable Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Fezza became an apprentice designer in women`s sportswear, then soon launched his own men`s collection in 1979.
Known for: A European approach to menswear. Dubbed ”the Giorgio Armani of America,” 36-year-old Fezza doesn`t dispute the title. ”Although I think I`m more in tune with American men-they are more mussed up and don`t look as perfect as Europeans.”
Prices: Under the Andrew Fezza label, a suit averages about $850; in Assets, his lower-priced line, a suit ranges from $374 to $495. Then there`s Fez, a brand-new line of club and activewear with prices under $100 per item. Carried at: Syd Jerome, Neiman Marcus, Marshall Field & Co., Bloomingdale`s and Mark Richard in Glencoe.
Stay tuned for: Fez for fall. ”I had a lot of fun experimenting with new fabrics,” says Fezza, describing bright, fitted tops and cycling shorts made from scuba fabrics . . . motorcycle jackets in emerald green and cobalt blue done up in shiny polyurethane fabric.
Evolution: Fezza`s clothing for the `90s is less dressy and more versatile than a decade ago. ”A suit jacket today can also team up with jeans,” says the designer.
Pulling it together: Fezza likes consumers to use their creativity:
”They don`t have to be head-to-toe Fezza,” says the designer who suggests Bill Robinson, Armani, Jhane Barnes and The Gap as good coordinates for his labels. So, who shouldn`t you mix his clothes with? ”Well, not Ralph Lauren,” says the designer. ”I don`t think the fit on our clothes would blend well.”
Jhane Barnes
Spring 1992: Lots of geometric patterns and warm, burnished colors like cinnamon and brick red. A shoe line is new this spring and is available at Neiman Marcus stores. A big-and-tall collection also is new and will be available by May at Mr. Eddie, 114 Skokie Blvd., Wilmette, and at Rochester Big & Tall Clothing, 149 E. Ohio St.
Background: Fashion design was a third choice for Barnes, who in high school aspired to become a musician or scientist. Another Fashion Institute of Technology alumna, Barnes launched her men`s clothing line in 1979 while still a student.
Known for: Color and pattern. The 37-year-old Barnes takes a start-to-finish approach to fashion, designing not only clothing, but the actual fabric.
Evolution: Advanced computer technology has enabled Barnes to create fabric with more intricate designs and yet lighter in weight and less tweedy. Prices: Suits start at about $475, shirts range from $110 to $150. In Barnes Storm, the designer`s new weekend wear line, jeans sell for about $70, and a shirt costs about $80.
Carried at: Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Field`s, Bigsby & Kruthers.
Stay tuned for: A Hopi holiday. Inspired by a recent trip to Sedona`s Red Rock Country in Arizona, Barnes has geared her holiday collection around an American Indian theme.
To buy or not to buy: Tall thin men might want to shop elsewhere. ”I tend to design for men with generous thighs and behinds,” says Barnes. That means fellows who like to eat as well as those who work out.
Yukio Kobayashi for Matsuda
Spring 1992: Playful. Lots of color-blocking and cutouts. The designer also takes a cue from the great outdoors and experiments with green (some dyes have been extracted from leaves). ”I wanted to transfer the feeling of peace and calm that I get from these colors into the threads of the collection,”
explains Kobayashi.
Background: Born in Japan, the 40-year-old designer intended to be a painter, but while attending Japan`s Kuwazawa Academy, started making his own clothes and drifted into fashion design. In 1974, Kobayashi joined Nicole Co., parent of Matsuda, and began working his way up the corporate ladder. Kobayashi became chief designer of men`s clothing in 1983, allowing founder Mitsuhiro Matsuda to concentrate on women`s design.
Known for: Clothing with a sense of humor. Kobayashi likes to take classic silhouettes and spice them up with unexpected color or details. His work is less architectural and sparse than many Japanese designers.
Prices: A classic white shirt is $360, sport jackets start at $700 and pants start at $400.
Carried at: June Blaker, Marshall Field & Co., Neiman Marcus, Ultimo.
To buy or not to buy: Matsuda men`s clothing is targeted to a younger crowd, ranging from age 25 to 45. Clothes have a definite urban mentality, so leave them behind when packing for a weekend in the country.
