Perry Ellis Fall 2016

 Since Perry Ellis’ death in the mid-1980s, the Perry Ellis brand has gone through several creative directors. For the last four years, Michael Maccari has elevated the brand to explore and develop the modern American males’ evolving style and desire for more variety silhouette, construction, fabrication and texture. Understanding that the menswear market is one of most expanding markets in the fashion industry, Maccari wisely in injecting more innovation and measured risk into the Perry Ellis brand.

For fall 2016, Maccari stayed with the classic silhouettes that the brand has become known for seen through a prism of a more modern, exaggerated approach to those silhouettes. Macccari approaches the Perry Ellis classic sports jacket with his perspective on restrained volume.

Understanding that the American male consumer has become more comfortable with a wider choice of colors, tones, and fabrications, this season Maccari has incorporated deeper hues of burgundy, goldenrod, plum, colonial blue, chestnut, teal, and mauve. (Who would ever think that Perry Ellis would include a floral jacquard suit, a wool-pleated grey tracksuit, and a red flannel suit?)

And with the American male consumers more expanded embrace of fashion, for fall 2016 Maccari has included some interesting fabric combinations, textile innovations, and layerings. For example, Maccari has created a basket weave Sierra Gilet in navy paired with micro windowpane indigo suit, as well as a techno tweed suit paired matched with a Foulard printed teal shirt.

At a perfunctory glance the collection has a basic, minimalist appeal. However, at closer examination, Maccari has created a fashion mélange of complicated color palettes, fabrications and textures that seamless forward his vision of modernity and sophistication. “When you step back, you start to get the bigger picture of shape and proportion, but when you get closer, that image is actually made up of many complicated textures and colors,” explained Maccari.

Standout looks in the fall 2016 collection are Maccari’s floral jacquard suit in navy with floral jacquard Gilet and flannel shirt in colonial blue, techno shearling in navy, basket weave bomber in navy with cashmere crewneck in Bernice beige, and cashmere funnel neck in chestnut with techno tweed trousers in taupe.

With this fall 2016 collection, Maccari has made Perry Ellis a lot more relevant to younger consumers without losing his base of male consumers who like classic silhouettes. And his inventive pairings of innovative textiles, colors and fabrications will keep male consumers—particularly those opposed with style—wanting more.

—William S. Gooch