The Tamesis
Jerry Lorenzo isn’t a fan of classic button-down shirts. This is how he describes them: “distractions.” Lorenzo, who has followed Dieter Rams-inspired restraint throughout his work on Fear of God, embarks on a never-ending journey of distillation, cutting as much as possible.
The title of this latest collection – Fear of God’s tenth complete collection – Eternal Order, he explains as “a sartorial philosophy that transcends time, transcends seasons, ages, genders and occasions.” The result is a mixed wardrobe of gorgeous coats, fluid tailoring and relaxed separates in a typically restrained palette of black, brown, gray and, for the first time, navy. It borrowed from American sportswear and military uniforms, but there were also subtle oriental touches in asymmetrical lace-up suits and monastic silhouettes.
“When I started, it was completely instinctive,” the 48-year-old said at an early showroom preview of the men’s collection in Paris. Lorenzo said that as he has gained more knowledge and experience, his approach has changed, at least in the abstract. “At first you have an instinct to fill in the gaps, but as you go on you develop a greater understanding of the gaps that need to be filled, rather than what fills the gaps.”
How did he fill it out this time? The centerpiece of the collection (and proposing a button-down solution) is a flattering jumper with three-quarter sleeves, two small buttons at the neck, and a regal high collar. Equally new are Fear of God’s debut pleated trousers, marking a shift away from flat-top styles for sweatpants and workwear. Made from a sturdy-looking brown-grey red mill wool, they have confident pleats and wide belt loops, and running through the belt is a threaded belt whose buckle is hidden behind a strip of leather—another piece that leans toward simplicity.
The driving force behind Lorenzo’s increasingly detailed process of simplification and refinement is ultimate perfectionism. “Once we deliver this, I’ll have ideas on how to improve it,” he said. “I didn’t know that I had the ability to make something so perfect that it wouldn’t need some type of update.” Even so, he got closer each time.
