Olympus Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has begun, and in case you have forgotten who the new sponsor is there are two big cars in the tents bringing an Auto Show ambiance to Bryant Park. The one pictured above is a
four-door convertible concept car that is pretty fabulous, though not yet (or ever) in production. However, you are not reading this blog for auto news, and while The Shophound
loves fancy cars almost as much as fancy clothes, those automobiles are taking up valuable square feet once devoted to seating. There's no place to sit! But let's not start our report as a big kvetch. The tents are up, and this morning we were greeted with the traditional table of 'Welcome back to Fashion Week" beignets, which is sugar sprinkled happiness for us. The tent lobby is pretty much the same with a few rearrangements, and a few different sponsor booths. Fall is indicated by the darker, moodier lighting. It's only the first day, so things aren't quite in full gear yet, but by Monday, they should be in high promotional mode. One change is that the two smaller tents look a little bit bigger this season which is a welcome improvement. The opening weekend typically features menswear, so our story begins with that after the jump.
10:00 AM The Salon a?? JOHN BARTLETT 
As in the past,
John Bartlett kicked things off at the tents, and if his show is any kind of omen, then it will be a very strong season. Some designers establish their signatures early on and then refine them season after season, and by "refine" we meet "regurgitate" (they know who they are). In Bartlett's case, however, we mean, well, refine. Bartlett has always been inspired by masculine archetypes, and while that's always fun, in the past his collections have occasionally veered towards the exaggerated. This season season, we find archetypes of a more genteel sort, the Officer and the Gentleman. Bartlett started with clean, classic sportswear in sandy neutrals, but, as always, his cleverly engineered knits had a little extra shape to give them a sexy edge. Color blocks, jeans cut trousers and texture mixes made for appealing and wearable pieces. A perfect chocolate brown leather Eisenhower jacket led to a West Point detour, proving once again that military uniforms have endless appeal for everyday wear. Bartlett's version of a dress gray jacket made a wonderful runway piece, and then he cleverly transposed the soutache pattern to a gray sweater. He has had his ups and downs, but season by season he has managed to better combine his personal inspirations with just the right amount of commercial appeal. This collection was one of the best we have seen from him.
Celebrities: Tommy Tune, Cynthia Rowley, Carson Kressley, Nigel Barker
1:00 PM The Promenade a?? PERRY ELLIS 
As with last seasons, we saw several of the themes seen at John Bartlett reinterpreted in a much more commercial way at
Perry Ellis. That is not to accuse creative director John Crocco of copying, but simply to say that certain things are in the air starting with the color palette which ran from charcoal to oatmeal to sand with plenty of winter white. The show's invitation and backdrop both depicted a winter beach scene, and the collection was styled in an easy, offhand way with lots of chunky cardigans and well detailed outerwear. Crocco put an updated spin on classic jackets and trench coats. We loved the braided knit belt on a heavy camel cardigan, and a double-faced wool plaid topcoat in storm (also known as dark gray) evoked classics from the days of Ellis himself. As usual, we're not sure how much of this show will make it to the floor at Macy's, but what we saw here looked smart and salable.
Music: 60's rock remade and remixed by Javier Peral
Celebrities: Tim Gunn, Nigel again, Carson again.
2:00 PM The Showroom a?? DUCKIE BROWN
Duckie Brown continued their experimental merging of basic streetwear with tailored clothing, but reintroduced the whimsy that made their name with eccentric accessories and a couple of crazy wigs. Our position in the room made hard to get good pictures (or even see much below the thighs), but you can get a better look
here. Designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox continue to work the interplay between loose and tight silhouettes in mostly black or white punctuated with neon color sweaters, hats and gauntlets. and an large scaled circle check print. Oversized shirts and jackets topped skinny pants and slouchy low-crotch leggings. They even made a surprisingly wearable version of the ultimate fashion absurdity, the three arm sweater.
Music: more fuzzy guitar rock from Laurent Vacher/Labtonic
Swag: Biotherm Homme Hydra Detox,
American Crew Tea Tree shampoo and defining paste in a canvas messenger bag.
