New York Fashion Week spring 2014: Mark McNairy New Amsterdam review
NEW YORK -- With the spring and summer 2014 men’s and women’s collection, shown Sunday, Mark McNairy gleefully pushed the now ubiquitous camouflage trend to the brink of extinction.
The inspiration: Climb inside McNairy’s brainpan at your own risk, but based on the last look of the show -- which included a T-shirt printed with: “Hey hey, my my, camouflage will never die†-- he was either defiantly embracing camo culture or laying it on extra thick and hoping for an accidental overdose.
The look: That meant a cavalcade of camouflage -- traditional versions, digi-camo, blue floral camo, with camouflage appearing on trousers, overalls and jackets, camouflage pockets on olive drab safari jackets, camo combined with bright allover embroidery that included yellow rubber duckies (for hiding in a toy box, one would presume) or white daisies.
There were other patterns too -- polka dots, zebra prints, florals -- as well as a host of non-camo offerings that included nylon ripstop jackets, athletic-jersey-inspired T-shirts, blurred gingham suits, plaid shorts and khaki-colored toggle coats.
The scene: The highlight of the show came with a surprise catwalk turn by someone familiar to many of the attendees -- the always nattily attired Nick Wooster whose professional CV includes stints as men’s fashion director at Neiman Marcus and a brief tenure at the ailing J.C. Penney -- who hit the runway sporting a cobalt blue jacket and a pair of knee-length zebra-print shorts.
The verdict: Whether intended as an assault on the senses or insightful satire, once again Mark McNairy’s provided he’s a master at hiding in plain sight.
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