How does a modernist, minimalist designer like Neil Barrett adapt to menswear's swing with old-school, outdoorsy elements like tweeds, loden and Wellington-style footwear?
Splendidly. Her fall show was strong, cleverly incorporating small but evocative details of hunting and workwear into her elegant fashion universe.
Elbow patches slid down and forward, adding a graphic touch to mohair sweaters and loden bombers.
Barrett echoed the tabs found at the bottom of hunting pants on gloves and a variety of pants silhouettes, most of them cropped and over booties, a key shoe this Milan season.
Backstage, Barrett's name marked two dukes: the Duke of Devonshire and David Bowie's Thin White Duke character as metaphors for tradition and contemporary culture, respectively. “Old meets new,” he said, adding that he was also thinking about how young people could adapt pieces from his grandfather's wardrobe.
Barrett opened her show in a beautiful double-breasted camel coat, which took on a different attitude as the model reached into the slanted pockets usually found on pea coats.
It was a similar story when he relocated the jeans' back pockets to the front, giving the jeans a baggy attitude with equally full hands.
Likewise, angular seams and zippered pockets gave a more urban edge to tweed blouses and country jackets.
This collection looked great in Barrett's almost brutalist concrete headquarters, and should transition seamlessly into the urban jungle.
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