There was a rumor going around after John Bartlett's presentation that he had trouble finding models with enough junk in their trunks to do justice to his pants. True or not, it was an easy rumor to believe. In another of Bartlett's paeans to masculinity, he said he was celebrating "men of the road". That nugget, plus the period flavor of the clothes, brought to mind the working stiffs who headed west during the Great Depression. High-waisted V-backed trousers, some with suspenders, wouldn't have been amiss on Henry Fonda's Tom Joad -if he gained 40 or 50 pounds ("The Grapes of Ass" ? No, don't even go there). And Bartlett made the models look bulkier by tucking chunky cashmere knits into waistbands. In fact, exaggeration was the key to the collection, as it has often been with Bartlett's menswear in the past. The fiercely nipped waist on one style (labeled "speakeasy" by the designer) made its broad shoulders look even broader. And slightly cropped suit trousers were tailored unyieldingly to thighs, suggesting bodies begging to burst out. Perhaps that's why Bartlett's better when the mercury rises and he can unleash the beast within. This felt too studied and effortful for comfort.
