Runway Critiques - Neil Barrett

Neil Barrett is an English minimalistic menswear designer. He's the 4th generation in his family to work as a tailor/designer. After 5 years of working for with Gucci, he approached the CEO of Prada about a menswear collection and 8 months later Prada Menswear was made.

He founded his brand in 1999 and just a year later debuted his collection on the runway. Working for some of the most esteemed fashion designers in the world, Neil has an eye for distinctive designs and an acute attention to fabric and fit of a garment.

I have truthfully never heard of Neil Barrett, but I was so intrigued by his most recent collection that I wanted to share my favorite pieces.

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Milan

Spring/Summer 2021 Collection

Look 1 is a super unique short sleeve bowling shirt. Of course this is much more sophisticated than a normal bowling shirt. It has a super photo realist print of a hand outstretched for something. I love that the print goes across the button placket. More button downs should have this this detail. I love that the theme of this collection is black and white. Everything is very simplistic but it is the small details that make a difference. The strap of the bag, the pockets on the shorts, and the platform shoes all show that small details can elevate a look.

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Look 2 I am absolutely obsessed with this jacket, if it wasn't so damn expensive I would buy it for myself. I know it is simplistic in design, although it just made me think of all the small patterns you would have to do across the arm, the left front and right front just to make that curved tan piece. I admire Neil's attention to detail. He creates such crisp and amazing looks.

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Look 3 is an optical illusion making it look like the black rectangle is the forefront focus of the jacket. Color-blocking with simplistic colors was Neil's go to for this collection. The sleeve and body of the jacket are just short of matching up perfectly but it strikes me as intentional.

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Look 4 is the only all-white outfit in the entire collection. Starting with the bucket hat, super on trend right now. The rounded square black patch, which I would assume is a label of the brand, ties in with the only other small black detail of the black belt loop. The pants look like a linen pant, perfectly cuffed to show off the bright white socks and sneakers. I read that Neil also did a collaboration with the athletic wear brand Puma where you can see the stylistic athletic details in this outfit. The bomber jacket is so clean, I love how it looks on the model.

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Look 5 is the final look I wanted to include. I like the simplicity of the top, however I wish the pants were paired with a different top. The pants stand out completely in this look. I love the color blocking on the jeans where it is different shades of denim on denim. The black and white looks so cool and could easily be worn as business casual outfit in a high fashion job. The fanny pack and shoes are simplistic, but I love them with the pants. Despite this, I picture these pants with a completely different top.

All pictures from wgsn.com

All information about Neil Barrett is from Neilbarrett.com