The Tamesis
This season, New York Fashion Week mainstay designer Jonathan Simkhai skipped a show in favor of a striking lookbook that honored some of his old friends and favorite new faces. Models for his clothes include actor Naomi Watts and daughter Kai Schreiber, musician Malcolm McRae, models Awar Odhiang and Betsy Gaghan, among others. “I wanted to be part of the community,” Simkay said. The same idea extends to his new collections: The designer focuses on what customers know and love, creating sharp outerwear and separates updated with new textures.
Typically, Simkhai uses a more neutral palette than high-octane colors, and this is no different for fall. He updated coats, dresses and tops in shades of white, black, brown or deep burgundy, in tactile and attractive fabrics. His zebra coat has brown and black calf hair. Women’s turtleneck tops and men’s zip-up jackets are made from black jacquard fabric, cut and fringed to make it look like they’re covered in feathers. “I wanted every look to feel structured but still very light,” says Simkhai.
His leather shimmered through the draped top, which folded and gathered in the front for a more architectural feel. He also created a killer straight-leg pant for men—not too slim, not too baggy (no one can pull off the super-tight fit, unless they’re Mick Jagger). The tailoring feels right for the moment, too—fun, but not too quirky. Simkhai expanded on the Met Gala look he designed for Kerry Washington last year, creating a tuxedo dress with an infinity scoop neckline—a pretty, subtle update. The same goes for his black pintucked quarter-sleeve dress paired with a cocooned shoulder cape, although the built-in bejeweled neckline felt like it should be an option rather than a requirement.
There are always subtle updates throughout Simkhai’s series that might go largely unnoticed but make the work smarter. Jackets have slightly higher collars and shearling chore coats are reversible. He may not have produced the most groundbreaking collections, but his cool, cool collections feel modern and extremely wearable, and offer something that just about anyone can stumble upon and enjoy. This is a victory.
