There aren’t many brands that do lookbooks really well. Beams is one. Wythe New York another. Drake’s, check. The daddy of lookbooks? Engineered Garments.
Perhaps one of the most well-known Japanese American cross-over brands, Engineered Garments was founded by Mr. Daiki Suzuki in 1999 after a number of years of buying for Nepenthes, an umbrella of brands considered a cornerstone of what we consider modern Japanese heritage-wear today. Since then, Suzuki has become a menswear stalwart, and it’s not hard to see why with Engineered Garments’ latest SS23 lookbook.
If I had to describe this lookbook in two words, it would be: upscale kaleidoscope. And I mean that in the best way possible. Personally, I like to stick to my neutrals: navies, greys, blacks, and whites. This lookbook, however, makes me want to get colorful. It’s like Savile Row met paintball, or if Dover Street Market met 1969 Woodstock. Lots of color and design flair while maintaining all the elements that make Engineered Garments the brand it is: quality, durability, and an unrelenting focus on details.
Here are a few of my favorite looks.
First off, bro with enough colors and patterns to last him a lifetime. I’m going to be totally honest, I don’t feel I could pull off the look as is, but each individual component of it is totally wearable alongside some paired-down basics. The unstructured blazer, for instance, is something else. It looks like you could run a magnifying glass over it every day and spot something new. The pants? Paired them with a white tee and some loafers in the summer for an instant chef’s kiss. And the hat? You’re a f*cking wizard, Harry. Colors on colors. Patterns on patterns. It absolutely shouldn’t work, but it just does.
Second, sportswear extraordinaire. Engineered Garments, while often thought of for its more extravagant pieces, is also a brand producing some of the best sportswear basics out there. The all-grey look features some beautiful layering, with some pleated, classic-fit joggers, suede New Balance dad-sneaks, a grey pullover hoodie with a button-up collar, a mainstay garment in EG’s workaday collection, and what appears to be a baseball-style, button-up sweat cardigan on top. The visual interest is off the scale, despite the look being confined to one color.
Lastly, city boy. This is where the range of the EG offering is evident. Some brands like to focus and perfect just one thing, like the t-shirt, for example. Others cover broader areas, like sportswear, or suiting. Not Engineered Garments, no sir. Do everything and do it well, if you can. The unstructured navy suit paired, a classic repp tie and patterned dress shirt, look great with the oxblood dress shoes, light navy mac, and ‘50s gangster-esque trilby. When I saw this look, I immediately thought of one of my favorite gangster movies, Denzel Washington’s American Gangster (2007). Great film, great clobber.
While we’re still in the depths of Winter, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is spring, ladies and gentlemen. Brush off the icicles, rip off the down jackets, and get colorful with Engineered Garments SS23 drop, pieces from which will be dropping over at Lost & Found over the next couple few months.
View the full lookbook at Nepenthes New York
