The mood was happy at J. Crew as Somsack Sikhounmuong, who was named women’s designer in mid-2015, turned out a colorful, feminine collection for fall. ” I was inspired by pretty and what does pretty mean — pink, ruffles and silk scarves,” said the designer.
And there was pink aplenty — from outerwear to knits to skirts. The lineup was full of prints and patterns inspired by Italian interiors, most notably a tile-print pantsuit. But this is J. Crew after all. To offset all the sweetness there were nods to maritime and men’s wear mixed in as well: a shrunken maritime coat atop a striped top and scarf-print flounce skirt, a trench paired with a delicate embroidered skirt, and a tailored blazer worn with a floral- and bird-print pajama ensemble.
In the men’s collection, staying close to familiar territory paid off. “We’re taking our traditional styles and updating them with new proportions and textures,” said designer Frank Muytjens. This theory worked well in a rich alpaca sweater over double-pleaded tweed pants and a patchwork silk neck scarf. Other successful plays on texture included an oversize deconstructed herringbone top coat worn with rolled-up brown corduroy baggy pants for a vintage feel. The use of pajama references and a few athletic touches only helped reinforce the idea that the J. Crew man has only leisure activities on his mind — but who can blame him?