Michael Bastian
post a comment ›
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
NEW YORK, February 13, 2012
By Matthew Schneier
So-called "extra men" have a storied history in polite society: they're natural-born charmers, called upon to make up numbers at the table, dance with undesirables, and escort other men's wives to functions when the ladies' husbands can't be bothered.Michael Bastian called his Fall show The Extra Man. He turned up a New York Times article from 1974 listing the top 30 the city had to offer. They ranged from Charles Addams to Bill Blass to, oddly enough, Norman Mailer, the irascible, six-times-married novelist who famously stabbed one of his wives. "Everybody wanted to sit by them," Bastian said of the extra men. "To me, it feels like this great New York phenomenon. I just love walking around the Upper East Side and seeing those guys who didn't just take an extra 10 minutes in the morning to get ready, but an extra 40 minutes. This is a kind of valentine to them."
The extra men were a springboard to glamour for Bastian. The designer is famous for unapologetic luxe, and imagining a cast of ideal party guests gave him license to indulge it to the hilt, in cashmere and camel hair, silk and shantung. "Snazzy" was his watchword of the season. His men were unquestionably that, piled with peacock finery observed to the smallest detail.
But it bears repeating that a less-pleasant word for extra men is walkers—as in, they won't do anything but. (Many extra men were, as they say, confirmed bachelors.) Bastian even threw in a little joke at this expense. When he arrived in New York as a young man, he misunderstood the term. "I would think, wow, these dog walkers get invited to the best parties!" he said, and spun the memory into a series of conversation-piece sweaters knitted with pups. The debonair model Pedro Andrade trotted his dog, Miles, down the runway in a quilted jacket that matched his own.
An extra man is an escort defanged, and there were moments here that were stilted, too. Bastian's charmers were charming but some lacked the hot-blooded virility he's marshaled so expertly in seasons past. Case in point: Most of his extra men wore floral boutonnieres. But they were resin replicas of real blooms.
COMMENTS
(0) ADD YOURSwelcome !
logout
you must be logged in to leave a comment sign in | join now
see all designers ›
Fall 2012 Menswear
#
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
N
|
P
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
Y
|
Z
|
-
#
3.1 Phillip Lim -
A
A.P.C. Acne Adam Kimmel Agnès B. Alexander McQueen Alexander Wang Alexandre Plokhov Alexis Mabille Ami Andrea Pompilio Ann Demeulemeester Antonio Azzuolo Assembly -
B
Balenciaga Bally Balmain Band of Outsiders Belstaff Berluti Bespoken Billy Reid Bottega Veneta Brioni Burberry Prorsum -
C
Calvin Klein Collection Canali Carven Christophe Lemaire Comme des Garçons Costume National -
D
Damir Doma Diesel Black Gold Dior Homme DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Dries Van Noten Dsquared² Duckie Brown -
E
E. Tautz Edun Emporio Armani Ermenegildo Zegna Etro -
F
Fendi -
G
Gant by Michael Bastian Giorgio Armani Givenchy Gucci -
H
Hardy Amies Henrik Vibskov Hermès -
I
Iceberg Issey Miyake -
J
J.Crew J.W. Anderson James Long Jean Paul Gaultier Jeremy Scott Jil Sander John Bartlett John Galliano John Richmond John Varvatos Jonathan Saunders Junya Watanabe -
K
Kenzo Kris Van Assche -
L
Lanvin Les Hommes Libertine Loden Dager Louis Vuitton -
M
Maison Martin Margiela Marc Jacobs Marni Michael Bastian Miharayasuhiro Missoni Moncler Gamme Bleu Moncler Grenoble Moschino MP Massimo Piombo Mugler -
N
N.Hoolywood Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicole Farhi -
P
Patrik Ervell Paul & Joe Paul Smith Ports 1961 Prada Pringle of Scotland -
R
RAD by Rad Hourani Raf Simons Rag & Bone Richard Chai Love Rick Owens Robert Geller Roberto Cavalli -
S
Salvatore Ferragamo Shipley & Halmos Siki Im Simon Spurr Steven Alan -
T
T by Alexander Wang Thom Browne Tim Coppens Tim Hamilton Redux Timo Weiland Todd Snyder Tommy Hilfiger Trussardi -
U
Umit Benan -
V
Valentino Versace Viktor & Rolf Vivienne Westwood -
W
Walter Van Beirendonck Woolrich Woolen Mills -
Y
Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
Z
Z Zegna
ERROR:
