"Thanks!" to Max Kaplan (in this post) who let us know about a recent article in the New York Times' The Moment (click here) featuring Frank Muytjens.
Asked and Answered | Frank Muytjens of J.CrewBy Bifen Xu
August 13, 2009
Image above is Frank Muytjens’s mood board
Remember when the cast of “Dawson’s Creek” modeled in the J.Crew catalog and suddenly everyone was wearing those rollneck sweaters? J.Crew has come a long way from the East Coast prep look it once embodied. Now it’s a (relatively) affordable style resource for many types of guys, offering versatile suiting for the office man, some broken-in chinos for the outdoorsy guy to wear with a Barbour jacket and, for the arty hipster, a secret-wash shirt paired with vintage jeans. Speaking of jeans, Frank Muytjens, the company’s vice president of men’s design, tells us about the debut of the Levi’s Vintage collection at the men’s stores (available for sale as of today) and gives us a little insight into life at J.Crew H.Q.
Q.How did you come up with the idea for the Levi’s Vintage collaboration, and what are your favorite pieces?
A.During a meeting with Levi’s, we were shown the Levi’s Vintage Clothing, a collection of vintage-inspired pieces that, after this season (fall 2009), will no longer be produced. Everything from the quality to the heritage of pieces made it a perfect addition to our men’s shops, so we decided to purchase the remainder of the collection. My personal favorite is the Dead Stock Jean, as I am a huge fan of breaking in your own denim. Through wear, the heavy weight of the Dead Stock Jean starts molding to the fit of your body and the whiskers start developing in all the right areas.
Q. How are you involved in the men’s stores that have been opening lately?
A. By curating our line and by adding interesting one-off vintage pieces, as well as working on all the collaborations with third-party brands. Also finding vintage collections like pencil sharpeners, staplers and fans from the ’50s. In general, it’s making sure that our design philosophy is carried out all the way to the end.
Q. What’s the biggest fashion faux pas a guy can make?
A. To not dress your age, or trying too hard to look cool … following one look head to toe.
Q. Any summer wardrobe advice?
A. Try the no-socks/bare-ankle look, but make sure your feet are tan. Roll up your khakis or jeans for a more casual, summery look. Or, if you must wear socks, try a flashy color like purple or green and pair them with wing tips.
Q. What are your least favorite trends?
A. Too many acid-washed jeans, square-toed shoes, overdesigned sneakers, oversize anything.
This article was a good one. I have a couple of notes... (1) I totally remember the Dawson Creek & J.Crew catalog back in 1998. I also remember letting a friend borrow it and she never returned it. [That would be you Avital! ;) ] (2) I found the advice about "dressing your age" to be a good one that sometimes people forget. Especially during the summer time. :) (3) I found his least favorite trend of "acid-washed jeans" to be another good one. I think he was referring to men, but it is funny that J.Crew's sister store Madewell is promoting acid-wash jeans for women. [Refer to this post.] (4) I am not sure about the flashy color socks for guys though. The look is great in a catalog, but I am not sure how acceptable it would be for guys at the work-place.
What are your thoughts on the article? Were there any pieces of advice made that you found particularly insightful?
0 comments:
Post a Comment