Tuesday, September 15, 2009

patrick ervell - spring/summer 2010


patrick ervell is on the verge of being the archetypal american men's label. there is a comfortable familiarity with his work with just enough wit and humour with the boyish proportions, naive colour palette, the almost geeky prints that culminates into a collection that is both endearingly charming, yet totally contemporary. this season ervell sourced his inspirations from a place familiar to his childhood, california. the state he grew up and where he first became enamored with the lifestyle and uniform of american workers. the rusted colour palette came from railways and dilapidated buildings and was transformed into prints that gave off a tactile expression in the opening jacket followed by shirts, trousers, and even a tie. the rusty colours soon gave way to washed out pastels that seemed to have been bleached out by the californian sun. there is a casualness, and easyness in how he creates clothes that evokes a sort of postcard of a different side of america. a country built through hard work and perseverance. ervell and his american contemporary menswear designers have managed to tap into the core of blue collar workers yet they've managed to elevate it's quality without mocking the history of the men who helped build the country despite their meager earnings. it is this respect and gratitude for the past that is helping re-write a new tradition for american men's fashion. it is something more tangible, more honest, and most importantly the most unmistakably american.



photo: men.style.com

No comments: