Nicolas Petrou showcased his latest collection at New York Fashion Week in the form of a presentation-cum-tea-party-cum-performance-art that was so delightfully nutty it made me remember why I loved fashion in the first place. For Spring 2011, Petrou whipped up a collection grounded in classic American menswear peppered with El Mocambo-inspired vibrant prints and Madras plaids, in a concoction that is fresh and all his own.Petrou Man Spring 2011
There were patchwork shirts in the theme of classic+quirky:khaki and a hi-tech tribal printchambray and a whimsical floral print
And the silhouettes were anything but restrictive, with easy shirts and pleated trousers.I thoroughly enjoyed how the looks, styled almost irreverently matchy-matchy, looked so refreshing after seasons of deliberately avoiding any semblance of color-coordination.
In terms of construction, he did a few interesting things that not only made the pieces look more modern, but that also made them much more wearable.The pleats on the upper back of the jacket create a bubble/backpack effect that creatively allow for more movement of the arms and shoulders.
The footwear was just as cheerful as the clothes:embellished sandals with color-block socksand tribal-print hiking sandals with toenails reminiscent of a Yeti's
The presentation was styled by one of my absolute favorites, Robbie Spencer, and featured body sculptures by Christopher Stone. Spencer did an outstanding job at collaborating with Petrou in order to bring a jolt of joy and creativity to the New York menswear fashion scene, which, to a certain extent, has been putting forth the same thing over and over again, season after season. Art, theatre, and just sheer playfulness combined to create a visual spectacle that very easily translated into these delicious photographs. Petrou and Spencer, I look forward to seeing much more of your work.Birds, butterflies, toys, and gummy pastilles decorated the multi-branched shoulder pieces that made the models look not only kooky-colorful but also menacing and villainous at the same time.the designer, Nicholas Petrou, primping up one of the models
Nicholas Petrou on dressing up: "wearing clothes should be simple yet fun, a daily act of nonchalant rebellion".
all photos by me