Move Over Guys: Antonio Azzuolo is Talking to Her

Arthur D, of IMG Men, wearing Antonio Azzuolo Fall 2014 and eyewear by Warby Parker.

At Fashion As a 2nd Language, we've been fans of Antonio Azzuolo since 2009 (see our first story about him here). He hails from Montreal, but his career has taken him around the world, from Milan to Paris and, ultimately, New York. Along the way, he's worked for some seriously big designer brands, including Hermès, Kenzo and Ralph Lauren. He's also honed an eye for detail that's become more distinctive with each season's menswear presentation––and, for Fall 2014, he's finally taken the jump and introduced a woman's collection as well.

Part of Antonio Azzuolo's lineup in the Warby Parker shop.

The show's notes drew attention to what we've already come to expect from Azzuolo––specifically, his sharp, sartorial silhouettes, deftly infused with hints of the avant-garde. ("Savile Row meets the Lower East Side," according to the press release.) What this means, in real-world terms, is clothing that's both wearable and, perhaps, a bit too much, depending on how many pieces one opts to wear together.

Extreme texture, shown as an option for both men and women.

Azzuolo tends to keep his palette simple––black, white, grey and navy are his staples––but this season, he also wove in shots of pale pink, dark rose and deep purple. Pieces were often layered, resulting in turtlenecks tucked inside shirt collars, with sweaters, tunics and jackets adding additional fabric to "frame" the face and neck (perhaps that's why Azzuolo chose to show at the eyeglass store, Warby Parker).

Boy, girl, boy, girl––good-looking clothes, all the way down the line.

Men's boots by Antonio Azzuolo for Giuliano Fujiwara; women's sandals by Santoni.

As much as we liked the clothes, we were also impressed by the shoes. The women's sandals and pumps were by Santoni, but the men's military-style boots and handsome lace-up oxfords were part of a collection Azzuolo designed for Giuliano Fujiwara (a name we haven't heard in a while). They literally grounded even Azzuolo's most ethereal looks, and added a few more "must-haves" to our Fall 2014 wish list.

Antonio Azzuolo, center, with models for his Fall 2014 men's and women's collections.

Azzuolo brings a unique sensibility to New York Fashion Week, one that occupies a niche outside the boundaries of classic American sportswear. His clothes suggest everything from Parisian chic to Williamsburg cool, with dashes of British propriety, Japanese quirkiness and Milanese rigor sprinkled throughout. Combining sweeping gestures and careful details, Azzuolo takes us on a trip around the world. And, like any good tour guide, he leaves us wanting more.

Photographs by Noël Sutherland

A New(ish) Designer With a World of Experience

Antonio Azzuolo's New York-based menswear line is very new (Fall '09 is only its 3rd season), but that doesn't mean Azzuolo is a new designer. This Montreal native has worked his way through the great triumvirate of fashion cities, from Milan (his first stop after studying apparel arts and tailoring in Toronto) to Paris (where he designed for Hermès, Kenzo and Galeries Lafayette) and New York (which, most recently, saw him at the helm of Ralph Lauren's Purple Label and Black Label collections). With so much experience under his belt, it's no wonder his own label already seems fully formed--there's none of the dithering that sometimes plagues other "new" designers.

As Azzuolo himself explains, "Inspiration is like a pyramid. The base is broad and fundamental, like one's past. As you move up to the point, there are flashes of things one sees, seasonal influences." For Fall '09, the designer brought together two opposing forces: a sexy, roped-shouldered silhouette reminiscent of mid-'60s Rolling Stones, and a sober, more gentlemanly style suggested by George Bernard Shaw circa 1950. In Azzuolo's competent hands, this sartorial fusion produced a Big Bang collection of "mismatched" suitings, elegant tweeds and handsome classics, sharpened with touches of Continental tailoring and Parisian flair. His deft use of recycled fur adds hints of dandyism: one vest reverses from lustrous mink to simple wool pinstripes, and even something as ostensibly basic as a pea coat looks more polished with its bold fur collar, tight twill cloth and bright metal buttons.

It takes a mature talent to create interesting menswear that's not outlandish, and to recognize that even fashion consumers don't always want a designer to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, the most satisfying solution is one that feels vaguely familiar. As Azzuolo himself puts it, "the idea is to be both old and new, to go forward while looking to the past." We're already looking ahead to Spring '10, and we can't wait to see what Antonio Azzuolo will show us.

Top: Fur-trimmed wool coat and cotton shirt by Antonio Azzuolo. Silk tie by Band of Outsiders. Bottom: Tweed jacket, reversible mink-and-wool vest and cotton shirt by Antonio Azzuolo. Jeans by Dior Homme. Wool tie by Hermès. Shoes by Acne.

www.antonioazzuolo.com and www.kesner-ny.com

Photograph: Noël Sutherland www.noelsutherland.com

Grooming: Stacy Beneke for Mark Edward, Inc. www.markedwardinc.com
Model: Jake Madden at Ford Models www.fordmodels.com

Styling: Mark Grischke Portfolio 1 and Portfolio 2