The lights in the New York City Masonic Hall went pitch black for a moment, and then a single spotlight appeared, illuminating a cellist on the main stage as he played with ferocity. His music acted as a guide for the models as they began to exit from stage right one by one. Each model made two rounds across the floor, weaving through the blindingly bright floor lights at the N. Hoolywood Fall 2020 Menswear show.

Daisuke Obana’s 20th New York Fashion Week show exemplified what he has been praised for in the past — cool sophistication. The Fall collection had a streamlined approach to a world where streetwear increasingly meets high fashion. Classic trousers were paired with nylon puffer coats, cropped velvet pants paired with windbreakers and obscenely large scarves paired with sweatsuit like co-ords. Hardly a single item strayed from the gray and black color palette, differing greatly from last season’s heavy emphasis on the British iconoclastic use of tartan.

Silhouettes of the outerwear ranged mostly on the loose-fitting (yet far from whimsical) side. Models sported billowy dusters and boxy hoodies, all in line with the high-street wear feel of the collection. One particular knitwear look, perhaps alone in its kind, strayed from the utility style of the other pieces and even sported subtle hues of blue and green against the monotone landscape. Necklines varied greatly from plunging v-necks of jackets to the classic black turtleneck. 

Besides the hard-to-miss oversized knit scarves, the singular accessory showcased was a top-handle travel bag, the icing on the cake of a utility-heavy collection.

Once Obana took his final bow, a roar of applause was heard throughout the room, when both he and the cellist bowed side by side, once again proving that art and fashion go hand in hand at an N. Hoolywood show.

Read more of WSN’s New York Fashion Week coverage here. Email Daniela Ortiz at [email protected].