Patrik Ervell
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
NEW YORK, September 9, 2007
By
His fixation on getting things right means that God—or at least a giveaway—is in Patrik Ervell's details. The music he chose for his second show (for instance, Slowdive and Wire) confirmed the angular indie-boy profile that defined his earliest collections. But Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark suggested a move toward something more immediately accessible and chart-topping. Maybe it would be the orange or midnight blue parka, shown in an oilcloth that was lighter than your run-of-the-mill Barbour. In the sunlit studio, that was Ervell's showpiece; the material glowed with a seductive translucence. Or perhaps it would be the shirt with the pleated bib (each pleat inlaid with satin ribbon, an Ervell signature), with its recherché silk kerchief threaded around the neck—'a decadent look for an American man,' suggested the Swedish-born Ervell. Then there were the unstructured, oversized jackets in a classic houndstooth or Prince of Wales check, surprisingly light in linen. (The technical facility offered by his Bushwick, Brooklyn-based tailor has allowed Ervell to sharpen his suits and outerwear, already his strong points.) Any of these items underscored the speed with which Ervell is turning into an accomplished menswear designer. There were still misfires in other departments—a cardigan in cotton alpaca, one half of a masculine twinset, was too limp to support his enthusiasm—but Ervell puts so much thought into his tightly edited offerings that it's only a matter of time before he masters those details as well.
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