A few years ago, a meme emerged when a user on what was known as Twitter posted a funny pic of a cartoon under the caption, “Can’t wait till it gets colder so I can really start dressin.” It struck a nerve likely because, well, it’s true. Cold weather means luxe textures, cozy fabrics, and most importantly, layering—that elite way in which fashion folk show off they’re, well, fashion folk. Nowhere is that more evident than in a Kith winter collection.
Take the opening look for example, a cream knit puffer that merges the body of a coach jacket with cable knit. The jacket has a collaged-sort of feel without actually being patchworked, and the myriad textures and silhouettes that went into its construction were unexpectedly experimental, while remaining grounded in the real world. “This isn’t an evolution of anything; this is just a brand new category that we’re designing into because we feel like our knits are evolving rapidly,” Fieg said during an appointment at Kith’s massive Williamsburg headquarters.
This same treatment appeared on a quilted nylon jacket with a contrasting cable knit body and hood. At first glance it appeared to be a knitted vest worn over the jacket; but it was not actually intended to be a trompe l’oeil or faux-layered design. They were both worn with a mismatched quilted jersey pant where the pattern ran diagonally on one leg and vertical on the other one. Another standout knitwear moment was half floral print heavy sherpa/half dense cable knit sweater half-zip pullover. “It’s our heaviest gauge knit that we’ve ever done,” Fieg explained, and the sweater was certainly heavy, though of course that has its benefits. Come the coldest months, you would not need to wear much else, though in the lookbook it was styled underneath a puffer vest and a pair of corduroy cargo pants. If you’re wondering what Fieg’s pant mood is; winter is all about a shape that’s “a little roomier and bigger” than previous season’s styles. It is also cropped so that it better shows off a boot—possibly the groovy new style from Kith’s collaboration with Clarks. “It’s meant to fit three quarters over your boot,” he said, pulling out his phone to show a close-up image that details the perfect boot-to-hem ratio. “If it’s going to be cropped, then it can’t be hovering.”
Other highlights included a casual double breasted suit that had the look and feel of cashmere but was in fact made from double felted jersey. The jacket fits a little oversized and the pants give the illusion of a sweatpant—a Kith standby that gets reworked every season—but finished with a straight hem like proper trousers. It looked truly effortless, worn over a mock turtleneck, in heathered gray especially, though a heathered tan colorway also was nice.
But the pièce-de-résistance was a coach jacket appliqued with bold and colorful paisleys and florals in a fantastic zest-for-life moment. It’s not surprising that it’s Fieg’s favorite piece in the collection.“It’s made in Italy, and all the appliqués are hand-done. It’s the most amount of work we’ve ever done for one piece; it took six different sample runs to get it right.” Another version of the jacket, in different shades of white and beige suede and leather, brought to mind the most delicate lace. They were further proof of how Fieg and his team are making some of the most elevated contemporary American menswear today.