Focus on old guard, new designers as NY show cases menswear

Congrats, New York fashion world, you made it through your third stand-alone fashion week for menswear.

With men's weeks far more established in Milan and Paris, it wasn't clear exactly how that would work in New York when the Council of Fashion Designers of America decided to try it.

Though some designers decamped to other fashion capitals, and the feel of men's week remained more relaxed with fewer formal runway shows and more showroom appointments and staid presentations, there was still plenty to see with about 80 designers on hand.

For spring 2017, the focus was on the old guard and the new.

John Varvatos

Varvatos was groovy, as always, but his sexy calm of Provence reimagined for urban romantics was rocked by the real-life news of many dead in Nice after a truck plowed through crowds of Bastille Day revelers.

For his 17th spring, Varvatos played with the hard and soft of men's fashion, using ultra-light linen fabric for breezy jackets and coats but providing his young romantic with killer rough-and-tumble ankle zip boots that can handle the grit of the big city.

Varvatos, 60, has been in the business since 1985, when he worked for Ralph Lauren. His own company is 16 years old. He called this collection less rock'n' roll, softer.

Gypsy Sport

Can you be an outlier and a fashion darling at the same time?

Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport isn't worried. He admits he was a bit after winning with two others the lucrative 2015 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, but so far, so good.

"It used to make me nervous, actually, when I first won," he says.

Then the 31-year-old, $300,000 richer from the competition, spent a few weeks in Paris, trying to figure it all out.

"I think what it is to always go back to my roots and my roots are with DIY clothing, so I made a lot of the clothing by hand. There's also a fun element, and if we're not having fun it's not Gypsy Sport."

Ona run way of artificial turf, Uribe was, again, true to himself. His New York-based brand has been around since 2012 and he has maintained a commitment to unisex design.

Linder

Putting out high-priced clothes for rich people is one thing. For Sam Linder and Kirk Millar, the design duo behind this New York-y brand, it's more about stocking the closets of creatives like those who frequent the west Soho neighborhood near their only store.

They design, says Linder, for "people who aren't stuffy".

On Monday, the first day of men's week, the two took to the tiny Dixon Place theater downtown to roll out a collection of mostly everyday pieces.

Denim jeans were split up the back in the legs to provide a swing. Others were adorned with numerous rivets as they explored the idea of exposing the "behind the scenes" of garment making.

The Linder shoes and boots, made in Portugal, were a different story. They were awesome in that comfy, lug-sole, clunky way. The pickings included some great sand color suede loafers.

Linder launched in 2013 and this was the brand's first runway show.

Millar, 27, and Linder, 42, come from different generations.

Artistix

Andy Hilfiger, 54, is a star brander, rock dude and the brother of Tommy. Greg Polisseni is a painter, Rochester, New York, dude and doesn't play the guitar.

So how'd these two come together over fashion?

After making a splash in high school by painting his clothes, then accidentally splattering some paint on his jeans and sneakers a few years ago and earning compliments, Polisseni founded a fashion company in 2013. Last year, Hilfiger attended his men's show and the two hit it off as Polisseni continues to grow Artistix.

This time around, paint splatters were everywhere on the coveralls, canvas vests, white leather jackets and some pretty hot boxer briefs Polisseni showed, because what dude doesn't need some high-end undies.

And the inspiration for all the splatters? In black and teal, mostly. It's "equality", but really a collection of Jackson Pollock esque abstract paintings that Polisseni did and were on display in a gallery space leading up to his show.