(8/2017) Heralding late in the summer season, the sun’s heat waves stroke the human heart, and in response we find ourselves touched by its warmth. Approach August, when such notions refer to imaginations of an endless summer: where the beach tide rolls in an abundance of joy and moments below sunsets painted in lavender purple and bubblegum pink radiate perfectly in memory.

Not far are the beaches of Montauk and the Hamptons, where such sentiments could surface, is a world quite different in pace and lifestyle: New York City. Even in the summertime, hearts yearn for an endless summer. Distance from the ocean, fashion allows for a tangible form of expression on its city landscape. Similar weight of feeling is expressed in the cult followings of trends; these circulate perspectives on fashion. Labels, brand names and aesthetic all join forces to cultivate strong loyalty among fashion followers. Kicking off the flip flops to experience the entitlement for Gucci boots, swapping a crop top belly shirt for a rock-n-roll Stones tee, or sporting a team jersey in the spirit of athleisure wear: leisure active wear. For unlike Bruce Brown’s 1966 documentary surf film, fashion’s notions of an endless summer carry impression through clothing design made in the spirit of timeless fashion.

Teen Spirit

The smell of teen spirit rustles in the afternoon warm breeze, where the youth are out skateboarding the cobble stone streets of the city, and hanging about the streets of New York’s downtown neighborhood Soho. Among the young crowd there is a universal interest in graphic t-shirts. The oversized, tasseled and torn — and with mores instances, vintage tee replaces the out of season, cropped-top apparel. With loyalty to Harley Davidson and the Ramones, Kiss and the Rolling Stones – unity around skate, biking and punk rock culture – 80s and 90s bands carry a tune for the anthem of current culture. The sound echoes as does the vibrations of a heart beating for the summer sun. As a New York City culture hides from the sun rather than embrace it’s shine, an appreciation for familiar found graphic t-shirts resonates, as does the hope for an endless summer. Young adult fashions maturity not through expensive design, nor craftsmanship, but rather by brand labels and cultural reference. Summer fashion has caught its drift by encouraging its laid back, casual statement.

Memories of rock concerts hosted at outdoor pavilions, and at small theatre venues pent up excitement over purchasing my very own band t-shirt as a momentum of the concert. Now, vintage stores of all types, curations and customers – The East Village Metropolis, Vintage Twin and Supreme represent communities who appreciate the graphic tee. Worn tucked into shorts, untucked over dresses and styled with Converses, the graphic t-shirt has become an emblem to identify interest in pop culture and humor. The youthful spirit of it style of clothing has created a tangible influence to accompany the iconic Cobain song. Spot a graphic tee fashioned in New York and experience the angsty smell of teen spirit.

Speaking of graphics, if you are looking for a graphic for you company, organization, or just for your personal use, I recommend Graphic Impact - a Tucson sign companies - they are top of the line! 

Good Sport

As recent runway trends propel loose fits and baggy business attire fashioned as big and aggressive as the wolf of Wall Street, designers have filled the gaps by creating a new type of noise: loud minimal, rogue, and experimental style. Such fashion is far from the classic Brooks Brother fashion, a classic perspective on men’s clothing design and fashion. The last year of my time at the Mount was also spent working as a sales team member at Brooks Brothers store located in the Gettysburg outlet. The brand’s legacy is held in high regard for its traditional approach to design left costumers consistently expectant for the standard French cuff shirt, or double-breasted blazer.

The tide has change after a recent season at Pitti Ouomo , Florence’s men’s fashion fair earlier this summer season captured men’s fashion interests of the moment: suit pieces and street wear flair for sneakers and polyester collared shirts. Both styles win the hearts of the sartorial and sporty alike. American brand Off-White, Russian desinger Gosha Rubchinskiy and the beloved J W Anderson all showcased styles unfamiliar to a old-fashioned type of gentleman garb. The sail in the wind has caught direction where more informal style of fashion: full denim outfits by Off-white, graphic sports jerseys, and work out tanks trend spotted the fair just as did the news of Anderson’s recent collaboration with Converse. All events become a defining moment of menswear fashion in Florence. In response to such an event, the menswear community is celebrating an accomplishment: elated feelings are felt present everywhere from street style photography press to casual fashion of an off –duty model: as fashion becomes more than an expression of work attire, new concepts start to sport as a display of fresh perspective. As fashion looks forward with new design focus, just like the hope for an endless summer, a traditional approach towards men’s fashion remains good as gold.

Dress up

Haute Couture: arguably the strongest definition of fashion; it is a force to be reckoned with. My start in the fashion industry since college unfolded at a photo studio downtown Manhattan, where most girls my age spoke the language of fashion in terms of the classics: Chanel’s cross body Flap bag, Gucci’s Horsebit Loafers and Yves Saint Laurent’s Motorcycle Jacket. As I believed these were the foundational elements of fashion, and the industry expanded into a multitude of brands pushing boundaries with new perspectives. I found my fashion conversations rarely considered such endeavors. In recent news Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer Runway Collection made an ode to classic style with modern updates. A show made of shear cheetah printed dresses, sweet heart bodice tops paired with boyfriend jeans spearhead the simple ideals of fashion surrounding me. In the space that nurtures fashion’s advancement it appears that the heart still gushes over the classics. For young women in the industry this speaks by the price tag on the Gucci bag, or the over the knee hem on a Balenciaga skirt.

Although New York does not host couture fashion shows during it’s annual fashion week season, the people of her city devote their fashion sensibility to the classic Chanel Boyfriend bag, Saint Laurent’s rock and roll style and vibrant Gucci mules. For Madame Chanel dedicated her label to dressing woman, Yves Saint Laurent provides a platform for New York to express its grunge era coming of age and Gucci represents the voice of a true New Yorker: loud and unapologetic. By nature couture is delicate and mistaken for soft spoken or timid. However the strength of its voice comes within the meaning for such detail attention in technique and craft. New York fashion finds value in this treasure.

As the nature of fashion looks ahead with all sights on new styles and attitudes towards design, a loving memory for traditional elements of fashion appear like the a strong sentiment for endless beach bum days spent fun in the sun. The key link between similar notions relate on the appreciation for tradition. Memories of the sun setting along the beach, equate to a sentiment for a classic fashion look: a man’s pleated suit pant for instance. Both sights create a sense of gratitude that overwhelms the spirit. The only difference is that New York appreciates through fashion, rather than the beach. In this summer season, dreamy memories commence over vintage graphic tees, suits and couture fashion in the same way the mind could mesmerize over a summer’s sunset.