紐約男裝周元年 男裝業新起點

The metrics will determine whether the long-planned New York Fashion Week: Men’s was the success its organizers hoped for. Yet immediate reaction to the first consolidated men’s wear week since 2001 suggested an industry in an unexpectedly buoyant mood.

統計數據將驗證經過長期策劃的紐約男裝周(New York Fashion Week: Men’s)是否會像組織者預期得那麼成功。不過，從人們對2001年以來的第一個聯合男裝周的即時反應看，這個行業正處於意想不到的蓬勃發展狀態。

By separating men’s wear from women’s and moving the shows closer on the calendar to a month of similar presentations in Europe, the Council of Fashion Designers of America corrected an imbalanced scheduling sequence that forced editors and buyers to wait until weeks after the shows in London, Paris and Milan to see what American designers had on offer.

通過將男裝從女裝中剝離開來，並把男裝周的時間安排得與歐洲的男裝周更接近，美國時裝設計師協會(Council of Fashion Designers of America)改變了之前那種不平衡狀態——時尚編輯們和買家們曾經不得不在倫敦、巴黎和米蘭的男裝周結束幾周後才能看到美國設計師們的作品。

It also underscored a shift few could have anticipated in the days when the nonprofit Seventh on Sixth folded men’s wear into the distaff presentations held under the Bryant Park tents. That is the runaway growth of men’s wear, driven by generational shifts, a crazily democratized Internet and something else no one predicted: casual Friday’s positive trickle-down effect.

它還突顯了另一個變化。當非贏利的Seventh on Sixth（紐約時裝週曾經的名字——譯註）把男裝夾在布萊恩特公園(Bryant Park)帳篷裏舉辦的女裝秀中時，幾乎沒人預料到，男裝行業的發展如此迅猛。它的推動力是時代的變遷、互聯網民主化的高度普及以及無人料及的另一個情況：休閒星期五的涓滴效應。

“When casual Friday first hit the scene, it got interpreted into a nightmare for most men,” Michael Kors said. “ ‘Wow, you mean I get to look like a total slob?’ The reality is it tumbled down the walls,” Mr. Kors added, making way for “an entrepreneurial global man who is interested in fashion for the weekend, for work clothes, for play clothes.” Fashion is not, Mr. Kors said, just for the dandies and peacocks of the world.

邁克·高仕(Michael Kors)說，“休閒星期五剛出現時，大部分男人覺得它是噩夢：‘哇，你的意思是我得穿得像個邋遢鬼？’ ”他接着說，“事實證明，它打破了界線”，爲那些對週末時裝、工作正裝和運動服裝感興趣的具有企業家精神和國際視野的男人們”開闢了道路。高仕說，時裝不只是爲那些愛打扮、愛炫耀的人設計的。

In the decades since the term “metrosexual” was coined, the perception of fashion as a preoccupation of a well-shod and moisturized elite has been supplanted by an influx of mainstream lugs. For the last five years, sales of men’s wear have grown faster than women’s, with the result that every major fashion house has broadened its masculine offerings, most rushing to open flagships dedicated to the newest shopping obsessive — men.

在“都會美型男”(metrosexual)這個詞被造出來後的幾十年裏，時裝不再被認爲是專屬於那些穿着精緻、注意護膚的精英男士，而被認爲是屬於普通男士。在過去五年裏，男裝的銷售額超過了女裝，所以大型時裝公司都增加了男裝供應，大都急忙開設專門服務男性的旗艦店——因爲他們纔是最新的購物狂。

Seen in that light, a week that returned major American labels like John Varvatos to home turf took on a lot more than symbolic import. “What legitimized the week was having someone like John Varvatos come back and put his money where his mouth is,” the designer Todd Snyder said. “It put a stake in the ground.”

在這種情況下，約翰·瓦維託斯(John Varvatos)等美國著名品牌在本土舉辦時裝秀表明，紐約男裝周不只是象徵性地引進。“紐約男裝周正統地位的確立在於約翰·瓦維託斯這樣的人物迴歸，把錢花在自己嘴邊，”設計師託德·斯奈德(Todd Snyder)說，“這相當於打地基。”

Although other American designers and labels — Calvin Klein, Thom Browne — that typically show in Europe contented themselves here with presentations, rather than full-fledged fashion shows, Mr. Varvatos mounted a runway blowout with all the attendant hoopla, crowd scenes and star athletes who are fashion’s most devoted hangers-on.

雖然卡爾文·克萊恩(Calvin Klein)和湯姆·布朗(Thom Browne)等通常在歐洲舉辦時裝秀的其他一些美國設計師和品牌滿足於僅在紐約舉辦發佈會，而不是舉辦盛大的時裝秀，但是瓦維託斯的時裝秀聲勢浩大——參與者的興奮，擁擠的人羣，還有到場的體育明星（他們是時尚最忠誠的追隨者），樣樣不缺。

“It also says a lot that the European press and buyers came,” said Matthew Marden, the Details magazine fashion director, citing representatives from The Financial Times and foreign editions of GQ and Esquire, as well as buyers from influential British retailers like Harrods and Selfridges. “New York designers are as important as anyone else.”

“很多報道稱，歐洲媒體和買家們也來了，”《Details》雜誌的時尚總監馬修·馬登(Matthew Marden)說。他以《金融時報》(The Financial Times)以及《GQ》和《Esquire》外國版的代表們以及哈羅德(Harrods)和塞爾福裏奇(Selfridges)等英國著名零售公司的買手們爲證。“紐約的設計師和其他設計師一樣重要。”

And, while presentations here largely lacked the high theater of some recent shows in Paris, there were still impressive feats of showmanship, like the infinitely mirroring glass box that Thom Browne built for displaying a grouping of gray fingertip-length suits. “Everyone always says London’s avant-garde, Paris is creative, and New York is just commercial,” Mr. Marden said. “But you can’t really say that after you’ve seen Thom Browne or Duckie Brown.”

雖然紐約的發佈會大多缺乏前不久在巴黎舉辦的一些時裝秀的強烈戲劇感，但這裏也展現出一些令人印象深刻的表演技巧，比如湯姆·布朗爲展示一組灰色長款西服而佈置的無限反射的玻璃箱。“大家總是說倫敦很前衛，巴黎很有創意，紐約只是商業化，”馬登說，“但是如果你看過湯姆·布朗或達基·布朗(Duckie Brown)的時裝秀，你就不會那樣說了。”

With its distorted volumes, acid palette and unexpected elegance, the Duckie Brown show was by consensus a highlight of the week. Yet it was far from the only evidence that creative spirits both rigorous (Garciavelez) and rumbustious (Boyswear) stand ready to take rightful places alongside industry heavyweights. Just the chance to be seen in proximity to Ralph Lauren or Michael Kors had benefits for independent designers like Jackson McKeehan of Boyswear or Carlos Garciavelez Alfaro of Garciavelez.

晃動的褲腿、耀眼的色彩和意想不到的優雅——達基·布朗的時裝秀被公認爲本屆紐約男裝周最精彩的部分。不過，它絕不是嚴肅的（例如Garciavelez）和喧鬧的（例如Boyswear）創意精神能與業內重量級人物平起平坐的唯一證據。對Boyswear的傑克遜·麥基恩(Jackson McKeehan)或Garciavelez的卡洛斯·加西亞維雷·阿爾法羅(Carlos Garciavelez Alfaro)等獨立設計師們來說，有機會在拉夫·勞倫(Ralph Lauren)或邁克·高仕附近亮相讓他們受益頗深。

“For starting designers like myself, kicking off the week provides a level of attention previously impossible to obtain from buyers, press and on social media platforms,” Mr. Alfaro said. “I already got appointments with Barneys, and a meeting with Saks.”

“對我這種起步期的設計師來說，爲本屆男裝周揭幕讓我獲得了來自買家、媒體和社交平臺的很多關注。這種關注程度是之前難以企及的，”阿爾法羅說，“我已經與巴尼斯百貨公司(Barneys)和薩克斯百貨公司(Saks)約定會面。”

“The men’s wear market is growing fast, and the week made everything more integrated in terms of the fact that men’s is its own category and its own presence,” he added.

“男裝市場正在迅猛發展，紐約男裝周把一切整合得更好，表明男裝是個獨立的門類，有它自己的展示舞臺，”他補充說。

For Nick Wooster, the influential stylist, New York Fashion Week: Men’s was a long overdue step taken by an industry that, not atypically, was far from swift in reacting to demographic and social change.

著名造型師尼克·伍斯特(Nick Wooster)認爲，紐約男裝周是男裝業早該舉辦的活動。這並不奇怪，因爲這個行業對客戶人羣的改變和社會變遷的反應遠不夠快。

“It was a herculean effort that paid off handsomely in establishing New York as a source for great ideas,” Mr. Wooster wrote in a text message from Shanghai. Still, “It’s always the sophomore album, book, movie or collection that solidifies your reputation,” he added, referring to the next New York men’s wear week, scheduled to begin Jan. 28, 2016. “Now the real work begins.”

“這是一項艱鉅的活動，但它回報豐厚，有助於塑造紐約是精彩創意源泉的形象，”伍斯特從上海發來短信說，“一直以來，都是第二年的影集、書籍、電影或服裝系列能鞏固你的聲譽，”他補充說。他指的是計劃於2016年1月28日舉辦的第二屆紐約男裝周。“現在，真正的功課開始了。”