NY Fashion Week FW07: Evisu

On the last day of Fashion Week, everyone’s pretty exhausted
and, frankly, at wits’ end. So it went that when I settled into my seat in the
Salon for the Evisu on Friday afternoon, I was particularly irritable,
inattentive, and indifferent.

That’s a pretty tough hurdle for any designer to overcome,
especially one that’s showing at NY Fashion Week for the first time ever, as
Evisu was. But lo and behold, they put on a fabulous show! With a collection
that was at once light and airy as serious and sophisticated, clever without
being esoteric, and fun without being trashy, Evisu seriously hit the nail on
the head at a time when most sportswear labels were uninspiring at best.

Using the dual inspirations of the Roaring 20s and 1900s
Japan, the Evisu FW07 collection was expertly tailored, with totally dashing
men’s suits and playfully sexy dresses and shorts skirts for the ladies. Every
outfit was rendered modern by either graphic prints, unconventional cuts, or
the ubiquitous, very urban, visor.

Evisu also played its cards right in terms of schwag. While
other designers gave away low-value trash or, more commonly, nothing at all,
Evisu’s gift to its fans was (besides a fabulous collection) a cute little
branded linen tote and great-smelling branded bath oil. Mmmm!