Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Images, Dan Lecca, courtesy of Mercedes Benz
Time: Sunday, Feb. 3rd,
Place: The Atelier, 485 Seventh Avenue
After previewing the collection 24 hours before the Bryant Park runway show, we felt that Mr. French’s time had finally come. He’s been working quietly away in his Seventh Avenue offices with a small team of dedicated workers, doing all the right things, hitting the road doing trunk shows and growing his business rather than indulging in big splashy runway extravaganzas. He also runs a tight ship, as the company owns their own factories in China.
It made sense though that after years off the NY Show Calendar, he’s decided to show at Bryant Park again.
Mr. French is possibly the most gracious designer we’ve met in 15 years. While a great personality is a plus, he can also crank out the clothes men [and women!] want to wear.
There were three of female editors at the preview, and each gravitated to one of Scott’s 3 lines. He cuts slim, so ladies, you can wear these clothes in a size Small.
In this dicey economic climate, Mr. French has the good sense to hedge his bets and isn’t putting all of his eggs in one basket. Instead, he’s designing for 3 kinds of men. He divided the 68 runway looks into 3 distinct personality profiles, with price points to match.
Profile#1:: “the Producer: the RICHARD HARRIS collection.
Look here for warn and nubby suitings that have a conservative bent to them.
Price point: $600-1,000, selling at Federated AA stores.
Profile #2: “The Performer”, the LTD BY RSF collection.
Fabulous linings, eye popping color and excitement, lots of layers, and distressed details. Akon’s a fan.
What it’s about, says R. Scott, is “the whole clashing of cultures that is going on in the world today.”
Selling at hip boutiques around the country.
Profile #3: “The Director”, the R.SCOTT FRENCH collection. These are clothes for the thinking man made from the finest fabrics available. The black tux suit he showed us was Prada, only better.
Price point: $900-1500 for a suit.
Available at Takashimaya.
WHAT’S NEW is that R. Scott has incorporated a high tech element previously only found in performance wear. KLIMEO TECHNOLOGY was created by French fabric house Avelana and Roudiere. The “thermoregulator” fabric line, which absorbs ambient thermal changes and offers a garment keeps its wearer at a similar temperature regardless of the weather – much cooler in summer or much warmer in winter for 45 minutes from the time you first put the garment on.
As always, R. Scott French signature details were present on the garments, Hermes orange stitching, and a rock and roll vibe, especially in LTD BY RSF.
You can view more of R. Scott French’s designs on the following website:
www.rscottfrench.com
To read more about Klimeo Technology, visit www.gizmag.com.
www.gizmag.com