‘Midsummer Style’
(Linen Suit -David Hart Graphic T-shirt Private Policy)
The celebration of fables, myth and mortal romance is not just for the pagan midsummer solstice at the end of June the northern hemisphere moves from darkness into light a new season marked by new beginnings and the longest daylight of the year. In many cultures the exact dates of midsummer vary however the time of celebration is late day into evening. Spring Summer 2019 also marks cultural and artistic anniversaries that broke ground and challenged conventions and taste.
The one hundredth anniversary of the Bauhaus the famous German art school which opened it’s doors in 1919. Under the leadership of architect Walter Gropius the school was founded with the directive of a ‘total work of art’ in which all of the arts were brought together. In 2019 the evidence of influence from the Bauhaus within the realms of the Modernist aesthetic from architecture to graphic design, surface design to performance carries forth into the digital age.
The ‘total work of art’, ‘form and function’ and primary colors all these theories and practicalities still live with us today as a design discussion in many aspects of life from airport signage to the I phone and the colors and graphics in current fashion. Recognizable design and product that is mass-produced was the creative and artistic comment of Alexey Brodovitch and Herbert Bayer and Andy Warhol.
Plugging into the concepts of total looks and creative connections IRK’s midsummer fashion looks to the suits and sports jackets in luxury linen by David Hart as well as his custom designed whimsical silk prints of cigarette’s form his spring/ summer 2019 collection. Hart is a New York Designer who creates luxury classic men’s fashion with an urban vibe. He has consistently drawn from the historic creative legacies of popular culture and imagery.
Private Policy is a New York menswear brand that offers genderless silhouettes. Their collection from spring/summer 2019 was shown in London in collaboration with GQ China and The British Fashion Council. The strong graphics evoking digital culture one of the brands recognizable graphics is the PXL checker pattern. Most recently the design team Qu and Haoran Li were named as the 2019 CFDA and Vogue Fashion Fund finalist.
(Private Policy- Weather Zipper Jacket and Silk Shorts in PXL Orange and Green -Shoes by Gola)
(David Hart Graphic Knit Polo and Linen Trousers)
(Private Policy – PXL T Shirt and Blue Leather Shorts Shoes By Gola)
(David Hart Linen Jacket and Silk Drawstring Pants, Ray-Ban Vintage Aviators-Bowie T Shirt East Village NY)
Yannick A, Hughes Production Assistant
Model Christopher Lilakos, Fusion Model Management
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Patrick Michael Hughes is a fashion and decorative arts historian. He writes about fashion culture past and present making connections to New York, London and Copenhagen's fashion weeks with an eye toward men's fashion. He joined IRK Magazine as a fashion men's editor during winter of 2017.
He is often cited as a historical source for numerous pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, LVMH, Conde Nast, Highsnobiety and others. His fashion career includes years as a fashion reporter/producer of branded content for the New York local news in the hyper digital sector. Patrick's love of travel and terrain enabled him to becoming an experienced cross-country equestrian intensively riding in a number of locations in South America Scandinavia,The United Kingdom and Germany. However, he is not currently riding, but rather speaking internationally to designers, product development teams, marketing teams and ascending designers in the US, Europe and China.
Following his BA in the History of Art from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York he later completed graduate studios in exhibition design in New York. it was with the nudge and a conversation in regard to a design assignment interviewing Richard Martin curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art he was encouraged to consider shifting his focus to the decorative arts with a concentration in fashion history and curation.
Patrick completed graduate studies 17th and 18th century French Royal interiors and decoration and 18th century French fashion culture at Musée Les Arts Decoratifs-Musée de Louvre in Paris. Upon his return to New York along with other classes and independent studies in American fashion he earned his MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from the Parsons/Cooper Hewitt Design Museum program in New York. His final specialist focus was in 19th century English fashion and interiors with distinction in 20th century American fashion history and design.
Currently, he is an Associate Teaching Professor at Parsons School of Design leading fashion history lecture-studios within the School of Art and Design History and Theory,
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