A sense of wanderlust has overcome some of New York Fashion Week’s top-billing designers. While a few of their counterparts are ruminating on politics and the state of the world at large, these have opted for escapism: Michael Kors ventured out west to Utah and offered desert oasis-ready fluid dresses, Ralph Lauren’s cabana stripes and floppy straw hats were made to sit poolside, and Todd Snyder, one of two dedicated menswear designers on this season’s schedule, looked to the Caribbean for inspiration.
“La Buena Vida” was the title of Snyder’s spring lineup. He explained at a preview that his daughters are half Cuban, and that he was reminiscing on a trip he took there with them some time back. Snyder is a well-rounded designer, of the school of Lauren and Kors, who know the value and power of considering the full picture. “When I’m designing I’m always thinking, ‘who’s the guy, where’s he going, what’s the car, what’s the watch?’” Snyder said.
His moodboard featured beautiful, colorful images that answered most of those questions. They included snapshots of Havana and other tropical destinations, of handsome vintage cars, and of dapper, well-dressed men. One vibe-setting example was a black and white photograph of John Wayne and Gary Cooper in Acapulco from 1953. Both in laidback, relaxed shirting; one in short shorts, the other in wide trousers.
“Then I start to build the costume, in a way,” Snyder continued, “so I start to think about who he is.” That’s something he has a firm grasp on. He said that he leaned into this summer escapade idea because he does a “fair amount of business” on “things that are more resort wear” in the early summer months. “You would think it was Christmas [with the way people shop],” he joked. He expanded: “It’s when guys start to think about where they’re going on vacation, particularly on the East Coast where we have four or five stores and we have guys shopping for guys.” Meaning for themselves or, taking some editorial liberties to presume, gay customers. “They’re thinking about getting ready for summer,” Snyder concluded.
There was lots to want here for both of those camps and everyone in between. As an overarching idea, Snyder leaned into the 1950s charm that has become visually attached to Havana, which he merged, he said, with Miami in the ’80s. (The former, of course, was the basis of the latter.) This meant a plethora of camp collared shirts rendered in stripes and polka dots and solid colors, some in stunning dupionis and soft rayons and linens and others, the most desirable and sexiest of the bunch, in diaphanous voiles that rendered them semi-sheer. Snyder also brought up the waist in his bottoms and cut the shoulder in his tailoring closer to the body to balance out the looseness of his trousers and their roomier waists.
“It’s a blend of sartorial with ease,” Snyder said. That rang through in the way he balanced the put-togetherness of his output—suits and shirts and other grown men clothing—with the fun: Polka dots and brocades and shiny silks and wrap jackets. If at times the accessories, namely the short ties and the wide-brim hats, veered a little into costume territory, it was not to the detriment of Snyder’s overall effort here. God forbid menswear embraces a little whimsy.