NATURE AND PRINTS IN TRADITIONAL MENSWEAR SHAPES
Nicolas Petrou transformed the Lady of Guadalupe church on 14th St into a cavernous canvas draped hall for the presentation of his spring/summer 2012 collection during NYC’s Fashion Week. The designer presented his high end menswear line with a militaristic flare that starkly contrasted the elegant nature motif running through the collection. Standing shoulder to shoulder, a row of men in beige with slicked side parts and thick-rimmed glasses marched forward, stopping at the front of the stage with bellicose stares from behind a strip of yellow CAUTION tape. As they turned about face and retreated to their original position, a second row of mock soldiers dressed in blue made their way to the front of the house. “It’s like two gangs,” said Petrou, “the blue gang and the beige gang.”
Petrou certainly put a spin on prototypical menswear pieces, adorning lapels and pant pockets with patches of brightly colored African tribal prints. Asian collared blue plaid shirts counterbalanced tailored safariesque vests and blazers.
Rounding out the collection’s hybrid display of East meets West meets Center was a floor length shirt-dress, which resembled both a Nigerian robes and Japanese Kimonos. (Kelly Robbins)
Photos / 
Brian Schutza
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