September 7, 2008
DKNY’s 20th anniversary should ideally offer a prime opportunity to reflect on the evolution of men’s style in the city the label celebrates, but it’s actually been a pretty random journey—a fact that was underscored by the front-row presence of Esther Cañadas and Mark Vanderloo. They were once the gorgeous faces of the label, and even back in the day the duo were much more sophisticated than the callow youngsters who wore the clothes on today’s catwalk. Not that long ago, Donna herself was talking about turning young guys onto ties and a slightly more formal approach to dressing, but these DKNY men seem to have relapsed—they were virtually tieless and resolutely low-key.
While many of the girls on today’s catwalk sported big birthday bows, the celebration on the men’s front consisted mostly of suits and sneakers. The fashion quotient of the collection was all about layering: a V-neck over a tee and under a navy suit, or a cotton coat over a stone-colored cardigan over a V-neck tee. Casual and easy, it was actually the way most men might care to dress in their downtime, which has always been the canny core of DKNY’s menswear. After 20 years, not much has changed.
— Tim Blanks
http://men.style.com/fashion/collections/S2009MEN/review/DKNYMEN
