The dub music that opened the show gave it all away : the 80s rude boy is back. The UK was the main inspiration for this season's collection by fash duo Steven Cox and Daniel Silver at Duckie Brown, like a homage after nearly 17 years in the US. This is a blend of formality with eccentricity, a modern day take on the "Brit lad", i.e. the English school boy. Joe Strummer joins the Foreign Legion : tightly laced, thin-soled black combat boots worn with wool trousers cropped to mid-calf, revealing an inch or so of white tube sock; bold Royal Stewart and Black Watch tartans (patterns that Cox & Silver use generously this season, in dress shirts, narrow wool pants, and double-breasted jackets) that cross the border between the Scottish Highlands and The Specials; waxed-cotton, military-detailed trenches and Baracuta-style golf jackets cut from heavy wool from Long Island and Chanelesque nubby tweed. The fitted pants paired with boots and oversized jackets brought a new spin to the shrunken suit stylings popularized by Thom Browne. Duckie Brown upped the sartorial references by adding a ska edge to the mod influences. Bonus points for the chunky Alpaca-knit sweaters tied on smartly as scarves, producing a regal sort of cape effect down the back. In other words, young skinhead rebels crash an English department faculty party. Inspired by a regimental look taken to the nth extreme and English grand dads who wear their trousers a bit too high and geared primarily for the catwalk, the huge cuff pants are available in ¾ length to accentuate the big boot created in partnership with Florsheim as well as full length. The fourth season in partnership with Florsheim originally took the classic brogue transformed into a 4 inch ankle boot now reinvented to a 9-hole midcalf 9½ inch boot. The entire experience is getting it on -strapping in- corseting boys tightly into the boot.
