Todd Snyder got his groove back. It’s not that the label wasn’t popping prior to the designer’s Pitti Uomo runway moment last year, or before last September’s fantastic New York comeback. But it was in stealth mode, opening stores and strengthening its bases. “This has been a great opportunity to express myself in a unique way,” said Snyder at a preview, “this is where I throw caution in the wind. I don’t care about what sells,” he continued. “It drives my team crazy.”
This energy has done Snyder good. For fall he looked at “the push and pull between something strict, like a school uniform, and its dismantling.” Snyder was making a point about breaking some of the rigidity in menswear here. “I’m just taking the piss,” Snyder joked, holding up an unlined double breasted cashmere coat with oversized lapels and askew pockets: “We’re breaking the codes.” It was the kind of piece you want to run out of the showroom with and never look back.
There were schoolboy notes in tailored shorts and white socks with moccasins, and some Snyderisms, including military references (those Eisenhower jackets) and “Snyder Olive” (“most designers have a navy or gray, I have this,” he said). But the headline here is that Snyder is a true romantic. This season was an elegant balance of sumptuous colors (powdery pinks, steel and obsidian blues, chocolate browns) and fabulous textures in mohairs, velvets, leathers, brocades, “gutsy tweeds,” silks, rayons, cashmeres, boiled wools, alpaca, (hey, it was a long show); plus the right proportions in the suiting.
Snyder said he was going for the “big slouchy” feel that’s come back into fashion. Cut in lush crepes, his suits had enough body to hold their shape but were slinky enough to cling and drape in the right places. Together with graphic “grandad knits” and additional velvet and satin suiting paired with frisky, silky shirts, he found a winning formula with some serious sex appeal, even if the overall effect didn’t read as effortless as last season.
It was a renowned celebrity stylist who pushed Snyder to return to the runway, he said, which has also influenced his collection. Have you noticed how good some of Hollywood’s leading men look in Todd Snyder? Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Adam Brody… It’s kind of hard not to. “A lot of these celebrities don’t just want to look good, they want to be part of the conversation,” said Snyder. Internet thirst aside, there are serious benefits to looking good on the red carpet past the black tux. See how well ]-dressed men from Timothée Chalamet to Colman Domingo have raised their profiles by showcasing their sartorial chops. The velvet and silk tailoring seen here was made for red carpet heartthrobs, including Broadway stars Tom Francis and Aaron Tveit, who sat front row. “This one is going to fly right after the show,” said Snyder of the steel blue suit in look 20.
It should be noted that Snyder is the only dedicated menswear designer on the NYFW calendar this season. “It’s… depressing,” he said, “Where did everyone go?” Most of his colleagues have left for Paris or launched women’s collections (or both). “Being a New York brand, I think it’s important to be here,” he continued. It helps that much of Snyder’s business is direct-to-consumer: he decides when and how he shows. But those are technicalities. The fact is that it’s great to have him back.
