What Direction will men's clothes take in the Nineties? To get the inside story, we interviewed four renowned designers (pictured at left, clockwise from 12)--Alexander Julian, Ronaldus Shamask, Joseph Abboud and Bill Robinson--and asked them to sketch their ideas, as well as include a few fabrics and patterns they expect to be hot in the decade ahead. Their predictions were as original as the clothing lines each of them currently creates. Shamask, for example, feels that the Nineties "can only accelerate our movement toward a less constricting concept of dress," while Robinson foresees "modern baroque" clothes that will "have a sense of luxury and romance." Julian thinks "fabrics will become softer and more fun, neither contrived nor overdesigned," and Abboud predicts "fashion redefined" in the Nineties and that fabrics in general "will become lighter." More ideas and the sketches are on the following pages. Clean out your closets, guys.
Bill Robinson
The term modern baroque best describes the direction of men's styles for the Nineties. The silhouette will be streamlined and contemporary, with decorative embellishments that create a sense of luxury and romance. I've incorporated this feeling into what I've illustrated here--a classic American parka that has been teamed with a luxurious jet-beaded Jacquard sweater.
Joseph Abboud
Menswear in the Nineties will encompass the ease, class and sophistication of the Thirties and Forties, the quiet conformist attitudes of the Fifties, the revolutionary trends of the Sixties and Seventies and the rebirth of America as a leader of men's fashions in the Eighties. Classic fabrics will be manufactured in softer finishes, in a much lighter, easier construction.
Alexander Julian
Right: Increased personal style and attention to detail will be keys to fashion in the Nineties. Fabrics will become transseasonable and more versatile, while dress codes will adapt to accept a new, more practical versatility of dress. The man at work in the Nineties will be wearing a dressy sport shirt--without a tie--to the office. Café society will also dress in fashionable comfort.
Ronaldus Shamask
Left: In the Nineties, men's fashion will be dominated by a mood of retrospection, but without the restraints of the past. The suit I've chosen to illustrate would be made of tropical-weight flannel, as it is an adaptable, transitional fabric that can be worn from season to season. The jacket has broad shoulders and easy armholes for freedom of movement and a narrow waist for style.
