These days, in the age of Instagram, J.Crew is less about whipping up mass populism and more about curating one’s style, taking traditional comfort items and tweaking them so they’re imbued with a sense of character, of personality, of individuality. How serendipitous it was, then, that men’s designer Frank Muytjens recently discovered a trove of vintage horse blankets, their faded pastoral colors exuding the unassuming rustic quality for which he’d been looking. Enhanced texture with a subtle slouch—he knew he had found his mood for Fall.
“There’s an opulence to them,” said Muytjens, pointing to muted stripes and plaids at the small men’s presentation today (shown alongside women’s). “But at the same time, they’re peaceful and nonchalant,” he added. “That’s what I wanted to convey.” Cord pants were double pleated, for a certain off-ness; a lamb’s wool cardigan came loosely belted; a camel coat had been cropped slightly; and pajama piping appeared throughout, mixed in with shearling and denim. An argyle sweater made the cut, because you just can’t find them anymore, said Muytjens. But his favorite piece of the bunch was an extra-long, raglan-sleeved herringbone topcoat, worn with a malleable “crusher” hat in tweed, and, he said, “a frickin’ awesome” patchwork silk tuxedo scarf, which he also happened to be wearing, tied just so. If Muytjens is going to talk style curation, he’s going to walk it, too.
