The central dichotomy of Jonathan Simkhai’s new menswear line is East Coast/West Coast, but the styling of the lookbook suggests a sort of middle ground or “Weastcoast” look, where tailoring and streetwear intermingle. Suits are worn with tanks, and tailored tweed coats are teamed with a fine merino polo and made-in-LA jeans. Much attention has been placed on tactility because the designer has observed that his customer is more tuned in to the hand of the fabrics and “and less about the nuance and the design.” It seems the young Hollywood types that are coming to Simkhai are looking for two types of comfort: the feel of fabric against the skin, and a general sense of ease. “They want to wear something that’s dressy, but not necessarily a clean cut suit,” said the designer. In his endeavor to “find new ways to do evening for men, [which feels] more fluid,” Simkhai proposed bigger and looser suit shapes based on a ’80s vintage find, a kind of new new money look.
