William Rast (Q3687)
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clothing line
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | William Rast |
clothing line |
Statements
If designers were graded on their ability to hit as many trends as possible in a single runway show, Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala would have scored highest marks. Army green fatigue jackets and cargo pants? Check. Black leather paired with gray sweatshirts? Check. Navajo-blanket coats, nylon flight jackets, and raccoon tails clipped to belt loops? Check, check, and check. What the William Rast collection lacked in a singular theme (or deeper message), it made up for with a slick patina and groovy threads that could have been nicked directly from the models' own closets.Denim was less of a focus this season, suggesting the designers are aiming to expand their reach. The selection of leather was the strongest draw, particularly the quilted moto vests, leggings, and a twill and leather combo jacket. This isn't "important" fashion, but it passes the all-important cool test with flying colors.
16 February 2010
Our review will be posted shortly. See the complete collection by clicking the image at left.
16 February 2010
Sitting in the Saks bridal lounge on Fashion's Night Out, Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala explained that they were skipping a fashion show this season in favor of focusing on their customers. That made the hundreds of fans, camera phones in hand, waiting just outside the double glass doors on the department store's fifth floor very, very happy. The duo say they'll be back on a New York fashion week runway in February, but in fact, these aren't necessarily the kind of clothes cut out for a catwalk. Not that that's a bad thing. Timberlake explained that the collection passed the ultimate It-factor litmus test last season: The models loved it. "If they were bullshitting us, they should all go into acting," he said.For Spring, the Rast label's "sexy tomboy with a lot of class" look has a slightly softer edge: a little less studding and a lot more bondage lacing (hey, we saidslightlysofter), and a little less black and a lot more color. The faded patchwork jeans have been replaced with denim leggings, and there were plenty of the cropped leather jackets that have been popular with the trendsetting catwalk crew these last couple of seasons. In other words, Timberlake and co. are giving their customers exactly what they want. And here's another bit of good news for their followers: The entry-level price point is about 10 percent lower this season than last.
10 September 2009
It takes a lot of chutzpah for any designer to show right before Marc Jacobs, but the William Rast design quartet, fronted by Justin Timberlake, seriously aspires to make a mark on American fashion. (In deference to MJ, though, Team Rast did start punctually enough to leave some editors stranded outside.)The Fall collection, shown in Bryant Park, trumpeted a "New America," while simultaneously conjuring up celluloid visions of Americana fromThelma & LouiseandRumble Fish. In practice, the gist of these clothes is to recast nostalgic classics with a road-trip bent—the perfect pair of second-skin patchwork jeans; the little leather motorcycle jacket, now in dark gray with sleeves full of brass rivets; the denim mini dressed up with chunks of jet beading. Like Spring, the label's debut season, this was very much a denim collection, and it kept a laserlike focus on the skinny jean. Perhaps Timberlake and co. are thinking evolution, not revolution? That is a respectable strategy, but in an era when celebrities have indeed become wholly viable capital-F fashion designers, Timberlake and his creative directors, Johan and Marcella Lindeberg, should feel unconstrained to push further out into the fashion sea.
15 February 2009
An impressive slice of the industry showed up for Justin Timberlake and his partner Trace Ayala's runway debut. "We're just here to introduce ourselves," said Timberlake modestly, standing backstage with Ayala. Well, New York, meet the William Rast girl. She's tough and tomboyish, but also dangerous and sexy. She's from the country, but now cosmopolitan enough to wear a fringed cowboy bootie and plaid shirt with a mix of integrity and irony. The hard-edged look was mainly comprised of biker jackets and vests in denim, soft leather, and army fatigue cotton, trimmed with brass pyramid studs or fringe and worn with lean distressed jeans. Having teamed up with Johan and Marcella Lindeberg as creative directors of the label, Ayala and Timberlake seem serious about having a go at fashion and building what Timberlake referred to as "a true American brand." Unlike many celebrity-associated lines we've seen pass through our fair city, these are clothes that girls would wear—the best, and seemingly most substantial in terms of design quotient, being the jackets. Only time will tell, but Timberlake may be adding a new hyphen to his title.
6 September 2008