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SPORTSWEAR.(Victorinox Swiss Army, French Connection, Original Penguin)

Daily News Record February 19, 2007 | Scheidnes, Jean Byline: Jean Scheidnes Crossover Style Taking cues (and units) from outerwear, sportswear piles on features that function.

Utility, versatility and reversibility Worn-in fabrics Double layers and faux double layers Chunky knits Calvin Klein White Label did its non-core fashion group in grays and greens. Of two chunky, zippered cardigans, one was olive, elongated and knitted in multiple directions, while another was heathered gray and hand-knitted into wide cables. A jacket in a gray suiting had a blazer silhouette but was tricked out with flap pockets, a button tab collar and taping. Was it a blazer? A safari jacket? Who could tell? here victorinox swiss army

Similar genetic experiments abounded at Chaps. Thin jackets had plaid flannel shirts as their outer shells, while a corduroy shirt was lined with fleece.

“Everything is a little warmer, softer, more worn,” said Chaps marketing manager Christine Smith. The brand launched washed-poplin shirts, which could rival the strength of its oxford shirt program. They come in micro-mini checks and stripes, which appear solid from just a few steps away, and are ideal as a casual layering piece.

Sean John’s first fall delivery is an ode to a certain Italian luxury brand. Bands of red and green trim patterns of interlocking SJ’s. The second delivery is royal and gold with a chain motif. The third, a purple and gray group, which includes a nylon track jacket with a magnified snakeskin print, that is fully reversible to solid black. So if the jacket’s owner tires of the allover print trend in streetwear, he can relegate it to a lining.

Modern Amusement offered no fewer than three reversible items-a swim trunk, a cashmere thermal and a cotton crewneck with muff pocket. Modern Amusement is a rare California lifestyle brand that’s neither surf- nor street- inspired. Its fall collection was preppie with a few military touches and lots of the quirky, colorful details that have become its calling card, such as colored buttonholes. It debuted a clean denim line with no fraying but lots of wrinkling.

“It creates a nice tension within the look. You never want to look too pretty or polished,” said creative director John Moore.

There’s no danger of that with Levi’s new Workwear line. It offers pure, professional-grade utility and durability. The company, in fact, was founded on canvas workwear years before it got into denim, which also originated as workwear. So it saw the line as a chance to grow from the brand’s core values, said Levi’s brand merchandising director Jon Graden. this web site victorinox swiss army

The pants include a relaxed five-pocket jean-similar in fit to the 550-a canvas carpenter and a canvas utility. The latter two are loaded up with loops and pockets for tools. The carpenter comes in a flannel-lined version for winter. The utility style has pockets for kneepads. All three pants, which will retail for $44, are enhanced with triple-needle stitching, reinforced pockets, 15-ounce fabrics and extra belt loops. A canvas sack coat has a gusseted shoulder and articulated elbow for flexibility. It, as well as a hooded bomber, will retail for $82.

Victorinox Swiss Army is pushing into high-performance sportswear, and its outerwear in particular has nearly as many useful features as the brand’s famous pocketknives. The waterproof “coach” coat is loaded with interior and exterior pockets, latches and fobs, and the whole enchilada packs into one of its own pockets. It has an interior harness that you slip over your shoulders when you want to carry it hands-free. For a piece with more urban, dressy potential, there is a parka in a synthetic suiting with a coyote-trimmed hood. And talk about sturdy-some of Victorinox’s nylon shells are threaded with steel.

French Connection is another one enjoying momentum in outerwear, as well as sweaters. The buzzword for sweaters this season is chunky, like a thick cardigan with faux shearling lining.

At Original Penguin, the most popular sweaters were cotton/cashmere, and the best-selling pant was an alternative to denim, the washed and sanded cotton Rockwood style. Shirts sported small, tight abstract patterns in low-contrast colors. Their vintage vibe was amplified by short collar stances.

Ben Sherman is playing up its British rock and Mod heritage, and looking to increase brand recognition with U.S. consumers. It opened three U.S. stores in the past year and is eyeing San Francisco next. Its shirts offered myriad alternatives to stripes, including overlapping bull’s-eyes and playing-card motifs like clubs printed over mini gingham. Knits made vivid use of traditional patterns like argyle and houndstooth.

Kenneth Cole Reaction’s solution to striped shirt stasis was an evolution to “non-stripe stripes.” One example was rows of tiny embroidered flowers, another was raw-edged vertical piecing. A shrunken blazer featured a knit hood and extra zip-front closure, creating the appearance of a hoodie layer underneath. In a similar vein, solid T-shirts were pieced with second-colored layers at the neck and sleeves.

Lucky Brand Jeans always has a hippie aesthetic and this season it went straight to Woodstock for inspiration. Cargo shorts were tie-dyed green to resemble camouflage without militarism.

The news in jeans was color, with the range limited to khakis and browns for men’s, and all very washed out, while Western shirts were updated in darker, smoky plaids.

Caption(s): Modern Amusement / Victorinox / French Connection / Levi’s Scheidnes, Jean