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Winter's Tailored Black Looks Are More Than Meets the Eye

By Patrick Michael Hughes | December 10, 2012 1:52pm

MANHATTAN — Black is never out of style in New York.

While black clothing has always been prominent in closets of urban dwellers, there is more to it than just your average New Yorker dressed in darks, as each season brings its own very noteworthy nuances.

The devotees of street fashion have hailed the recent announcement of New York designer Alexander Wang’s appointment as creative director of the iconic Paris house of Balenciaga. Many in fashion media and industry trend-watchers see this as a high-profile affirmation of New York’s street style. Wang’s appointment highlights the global enthusiasm for urban-inspired American sportswear, as his monochromatic collections are known for astute tailoring, austerity and the prominent use of black. The designer's Spring 2013 collection opened with statement-making tailored matte and black coats with zipper details.

We recently took note of early winter’s striking black looks off the runway. Double-breasted, distressed, minimalist, plush and wrapped styles in mostly knee-grazing lengths were chief among them. The classic tailored princess-seam style with a coat worn by street style veteran Caroline Christman was accessorized with a round hobo shoulder bag, sheer black ankle stockings and a complexion-flattering blush-tone, fur neck-coil on University Place. We also liked the minimalist, asymetric plaquet coat by Kazuyuki Kumagai in SoHo.

We spotted Alden Hoyt of Major Model Management on Fifth Avenue wearing a knee-length trench coat in a very distinct shade of distressed black with a faded graphic detail. She accessorized the outfit with a contrasting distressed black bag, an inky scarf, claret-colored jeans and tall black boots.

We also took notice of one of Spring 2013's top models to watch — the very chic Nastya Kusakina, who was spotted in SoHo wearing with a minimalist coat with raw edges, sortie black sports gloves, fitted leather pants and round-toe ankle boots. A shale-toned short coat with military details and plush accessories worn by Olga of Soul Artist Management also hit a striking look in SoHo.

Street Chic’s lens once again caught sight of Downtown personality and writer Christian Ellerman, who was wearing a dramatic long black coat with a noteworthy shawl and cape collar, complete with a graphic T-shirt, spiked dog collar, leggings and Cavalier-style boots on Broadway. We also took note of the Amy Winehouse styling and wrapped swing coat on Jacqui Ferrer in Union Square.