Ricardo Seco Spring/Summer 2015

Michelle Lim, Editor-At-Large

Sporty New York City meats urban Mexico. Ricardo Seco’s 2015 Spring/Summer line, “Dreams,” stays true to his Mexican origins, influenced by the warm-toned Wixárika tribe, and is grounded by New York City’s effortless and simple styling.

This was Ricardo Seco’s first collection including women’s wear and his attempt was daring. He split his looks evenly with male and female models, and rather than it being a distraction, the added female touch completed the entire collection. During a backstage interview, Seco described these girls as the “women versions of his menswear.”

“These women are not worried. They are strong. They just want to feel good,” Seco said.

Without a doubt Seco’s women carried plenty of boyish elements throughout the collection. One look featured a tribal-print A-line dress, coupled with a black bomber jacket, finished with grey New Balance sneakers. This casual and totally modish motif was repeated when another female model carried a multi-colored, beaded skateboard along with her basketball-meshed crop top.

One outstanding look was a white romper accented with black stripes on the sleeves, constructed in leather but felt more like the sporty, basketball-mesh material. With its elegant v-neck Chinese collar, the suit almost looked like a sweet and youthful U.S. Open tennis outfit. Another eye-catcher was the leather black flare pants, a silhouette that is almost rare in today’s trends but looked natural on Seco’s Spring/Summer woman.

Seco’s man was just as “boyish.” His men were in the perfect in-between of a man and a boy: one look showcased skinny grey dress pants paired with a long, sporty windbreaker. Others tossed on cropped neoprene bomber jackets, moto jackets or the elegantly shiny silver raincoat, and shorts right above the knees resembling swim trunks. With the slouchy leather backpacks and the wooden sunglasses, emanating an overall “punk” aesthetic, college students and twenty-something New Yorkers will consume Seco’s menswear line.

From the fabrics to the color palette, the collection as a whole was extremely coherent, maybe too coherent. Without the sudden pop of the bright beaded necklace or the vibrant embroidery patterned on the sleeves of the leather jackets, the collection could have been boring or familiar. In fact, many NYU students on West 4th Street might have already worn Seco’s new line.

Certainly, New York City appreciates Seco’s love: the show ended with the window blinds of 7 World Trade Center being lifted up, and the audience was immediately overwhelmed by TriBeCa’s sunset skyline. The entire city was the runway’s background.

But Seco’s inspiration is New York City’s new obsession with sportswear.

“New York City is the city where you can see everything. If you can dress in New York, you can dress everywhere,” Seco said. “You can see a lot of the previous, urban ‘Ricardo Seco’ in this collection, but you can see a lot of my country here too. Touch of Mexico in New York style.”

Email Michelle Lim at [email protected].