Billy Reid is a fashion world anomaly of sorts. His business is based out of the small town Florence, Louisiana and he has succeeded despite his relative absence from the New York fashion scene. His aesthetics is heavily influenced by his love of his home state and a signature Southern charm unites his collections. For this season, two events weighed heavily on Mr Reid's mind -the first being the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl and the second being the tragic Gulf oil spill. In his program notes, he revealed that the two incidents helped him focus on some cherished memories, the incredibly unique and eccentric people and a culture that is deep in his heart and shapes him still.
Before twenty warped doors (sourced from Southern Accents Architectural Antiques in Cullman, Alabama) stood twenty strapping gents in sack suits and braces, field pants and marsh jackets. Each of them were named with a Mark Twain-ian quirkiness and had a short playful faux bio. According to the notes, guests were making the acquaintance of Bitt Hammonds ("always sockless, never Scotch-less"), Sunny Beatty ("squirrel-eating black sheep"), Simmons Herbert ("8th-year Tulane undergrad”) and Cooper Forshea ("country club lifer”)... downing micro-brewed beers and ogling the handsome models -purely for their impeccably styled Southern boy ensembles. Think casually dressed-up red staters, complete with pearl snaps, chinos, linen dress shirts, polos, and chambray suits. Looking at the full high-waisted trousers, the loosely fastened silk ascots, and the unstructured cream-colored linen jackets, you get a real sense of that old-world Southern sophistication -style tempered by real-life wear. Add a few modern elements -tennis shoes in partnership with K-Swiss, tote bags destined for a breezy weekend getaway and Stetson provided a capsule collection of caps- and you've got a collection that references the past while reflecting how today's man wants to dress.
Before twenty warped doors (sourced from Southern Accents Architectural Antiques in Cullman, Alabama) stood twenty strapping gents in sack suits and braces, field pants and marsh jackets. Each of them were named with a Mark Twain-ian quirkiness and had a short playful faux bio. According to the notes, guests were making the acquaintance of Bitt Hammonds ("always sockless, never Scotch-less"), Sunny Beatty ("squirrel-eating black sheep"), Simmons Herbert ("8th-year Tulane undergrad”) and Cooper Forshea ("country club lifer”)... downing micro-brewed beers and ogling the handsome models -purely for their impeccably styled Southern boy ensembles. Think casually dressed-up red staters, complete with pearl snaps, chinos, linen dress shirts, polos, and chambray suits. Looking at the full high-waisted trousers, the loosely fastened silk ascots, and the unstructured cream-colored linen jackets, you get a real sense of that old-world Southern sophistication -style tempered by real-life wear. Add a few modern elements -tennis shoes in partnership with K-Swiss, tote bags destined for a breezy weekend getaway and Stetson provided a capsule collection of caps- and you've got a collection that references the past while reflecting how today's man wants to dress.
