For years, Marcus Allen has been a behind-the-scenes force in the fashion industry. He’s continuing to grow his legacy with The Society Archive, where he taps into his lifelong love of vintage clothing—ranging from humble Y2K mall brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap to Prada and Tom Ford-era Gucci—and transforms it into inspiration for untold designers and stylists.
As a stylist and creative consultant, Allen has codified a visual language of youthful languor and horny Americana, making the case that it’s not New York runways but the suburban mall that’s been the most influential aesthetic to come from the United States.
Yesterday, Allen took the next step in building out that vision with his first fashion collection. Shown in a top-floor loft in Nolita, filled with a who’s who of the downtown scene, the presentation took items with which he’s become synonymous—low-riding board shorts, battered T-shirts, baggy cargo pants, beat-up flannels, military jackets—and reimagined them as something elevated and glamorous.
“It’s evening surf,” Allen told Vogue, saying he was inspired by ideas of lifeguards or local surfers in Montauk. “I took this core base of a wardrobe, but rethought it a bit.
I wanted to take this sense of nostalgia—things that are, in my point of view, forever classics—and reimagine them.”
Take a closer look and you’ll realize those dopey swim trunks are, in fact, made from a shimmering plaid silk taffeta, while sheer camisoles and skirts were fine cotton voile or sheer silk chiffon—which he imagined as a delicate version of his workaday flannels. He included a louche linen suit, its pants fastened with a belt made from tropical-print board short nylon, and a punchy orange vest lined in washed red silk.
He reconsidered the classic surf rash guard as a top you could pair with loose trousers and wear to dinner and he closed the show with a dramatic drape made from a bead-spread dating back to the early 1900s, lined in custom fabric. Models wore Timberland shoes or water sock-like slippers, and jewelry was made in collaboration with Eli Burch.
Stylist Tony Irvine and creative consultant James Scully (a former casting director of legendary renown) were vital in creating an unabashedly sexy line-up of dewy models exposing a whole lot of skin. Unabashed desire—and the joys of being young, sexy, and beautiful—were the underlying messages.
“I really wanted it to feel sexy but in a more cheeky and playful way,” Allen says. “I’ve seen some of these garments in so many iterations as I built this archive.
But I wanted to jazz it up and make it feel fresh and modern, fun, super elevated.”
“During fittings, we just put the garments on the guys and girls as they were coming in, and we were having the best time. Even the most costume-looking piece, when everyone was lined up, looked right.”