From left: Orley Cole Chino, $395, Micro Stitch Polo, $295, and Brody Bomber, $995, all available at Bergdorf Goodman, 212-753-7300 F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas
"FAMILY" IS THE FIRST word Matthew Orley, 28, uses to describe the menswear brand that he runs with his brother Alex, 26, and his 28-year-old fiancée, Samantha Florence. But it's not just his shared (or soon-to-be shared) last name he's talking about. When the trio founded Orley two years ago as a high-end collection of bright, quirky-retro knits, the idea of family extended to their decision to produce in Italy, though they live in New York. "We like working with family businesses, and our factories have been in these Italian families for generations," said Matthew. "There's a deep understanding of the product that we're creating."
This spring, the line has blossomed into a full collection, including pants, shirts and light outerwear. The designs were sparked by a trip to one of the brand's factories on the Italian coast. "It's a blue-collar Mediterranean manufacturing town," Alex said. "But it's so beautiful, and we wanted to imbue the collection with that spirit."
The resulting pieces—like pale blue button-ups, rose-hued club jackets and pleated linen shorts—cut the Old World vibe with an old-school American sensibility, and may make you long for both an Aperol Spritz and a gin and tonic. Brian Trunzo, the co-owner of New York boutique Carson Street Clothiers and one of Orley's earliest admirers, called the collection "lighthearted but sophisticated," and projects it will do well: "Thoughts of everything from the Grecian islands to the Amalfi coast—it's where your head wants to be in the spring."
0 comments:
Post a Comment