The beginning of Fashion Week usually clusters the menswear designers at the beginning of the week before the big womenswear brands take center stage. This season is no different, and the lineup included Perry Ellis, the commercial powerhouse, and, at the other end of the spectrum, Duckie Brown, the inventive young label that always surprises.
Sept. 5, 11 AM The Promenade â?¢ PERRY ELLIS
Perry Ellis is nothing if not consistent, which is not to say boring. Creative director John Crocco never fails to present an uncontrived collection for guys who want some style but simply have no use for the sort of perplexing items that often pass as "men's fashion". Crocco proves that reinventing the jacket every season is not always required to make an appealing presentation. As usual, he pays tribute to his label's namesake with the earthy colors and subtle textures that made Ellis famous, applying them to sporty lightweight windbreakers and ropy knits for chilly beach nights.
MUSIC: New Prince and classic pop/rock

Sept. 5, 6 PM The Salon â?¢ DUCKIE BROWN
Duckie Brown has been consistent in surprising us every season. We never know exactly what to expect from them. One season we get whimsy, and another will bring wild experimentation with scale, texture and color. This time around Steven Cox and Daniel Silver deftly mixed both their tailoring skill and penchant for bold color and pattern. This show was called Classical Duckie, and for the more timid there was classical tailoring with subtle twists like dropped shoulders on crisp white shirts. For the more daring, there were vivid exploded floral prints and loose t-shirts and polos paved with antique sequins. To their credit, Cox and Silver's clean lined shapes made perfect sense out of the most audacious elements to a cheering audience waiting to see what they would come up with next.
MUSIC: The Pink Panther Theme and other dubby jazz (or jazzy dub)
SWAG: American Crew shampoo and body lotion.