There's a type of man who seems to exist only in particular neighborhoods in New York : the stripped-down aesthete who pays close attention to styling and hygiene but presents himself with a decidedly rock'n'roll swagger -often entirely in black and white. That seemed to be the type of man Mik Cire's designer Eric Kim had in mind when he presented his collection for this season with its über-hip offerings. Eric Kim is also the designer of Monarchy, and it's interesting to observe the very obvious differences between Monarchy’s punk aggressive street styling and the much more tailored and relaxed feel of Mik Cire. From the calm palette to the roomy cuts, it might be difficult for someone to tell that the two labels were designed by the same man. Here the lambskin leather coats, some with asymmetrical zippering, were particularly palatable, as were the ultra-thin tanks and tees that will no doubt find a home on the Brooklyn hipster set. The collection was heavy on asymmetrical tailoring and as Eric Kim pointed out backstage, it was tricky dealing with negative space that creates, "it’s all trial and error, it’s you know cutting and re-cutting and saying it's too asymmetric you know, we went too far and we have to bring it in". The casual but far from sloppy trousers, denims, jackets and shirts that bore the fruits of all that scissor work, worked exceptionally well. In general the entire collection was proof that one of the hallmarks of great tailoring is that you don’t notice it at all. Like a great bridge the beams, braces and bolts are what allows all of the picture postcard prettiness to happen. Mr Kim’s workmanship in creating such easy comfortable clothing deserves much more attention than it will likely receive.
