The TL;DR fashion review: Refreshing old school meets new school vibes with a side of musicality.
NEW YORK -- Designer David Hart grew up with jazz. His father was a musician, introducing him to jazz greats like Miles Davis, Sunny Rollins and Max Roach. But it was their swagger and style that made the biggest impression on the New York-based menswear designer.
Just a little more of this. #FrancisWolff A photo posted by DAVID HART (@davidhartnyc) on Jan 29, 2016 at 5:23am PST
"I wanted to pay homage to the jazz age in a very authentic way where it felt real," he told Mashable during the first day of New York Fashion Week: Men's, where he showcased his fall 2016 collection. "All of the photos I was inspired by was with these musicians who played in them."
The mod style he showed Monday was very '60s, with cool, muted colors like navy, grey and chocolate, with pops of dandelion and raspberry red. Styles ranged from wool polos to merino sweaters to slick suits -- some with a subtle sheen, thanks to the use of nylon.
Each of the models accessorized his look with instruments ranging from saxophones, trumpets, clarinets and flutes. And every model was black, a conscious effort by Hart to make his show true to his inspiration.
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"I wanted to play to the diversity in modeling," he said. "My show is so diverse — we have guys from Senegal, South America, Haiti, to New Jersey."
A photo posted by DAVID HART (@davidhartnyc) on Jan 28, 2016 at 10:52am PST
Finding an all black cast wasn't difficult, Hart said.
"There were some challenges, like, there aren't as many black models," he said. "But we put a great cast together with three agencies: Red, IMG and Wilhelmina."
Hart said there is no excuse when designers claim it's difficult to find diverse models.
Swagger jagger at @davidhartnyc's 1960s Jazz inspired collection. #nyfwm #nyfw #menswear #style #mensstyle #swagger A photo posted by David Yi (@seoulcialite) on Feb 1, 2016 at 11:30am PST
"I think it's important and that we stand behind it," he said. Other than what's right or wrong, Hart finds that his show is more interesting when there is diversity.
"Look at these guys, everyone loves these guys," he quipped, before pausing and grinning. "This is my coolest show yet."