Entering the W. 42nd headquarters of Elie Tahari, one is immediately aware that one is in the presence of Serious New York Fashion. A receptionist, sitting alone at a completely unadorned, 20-foot-long glass table, takes your coat and leads you into a waiting room decorated in three shades of sand. There are almonds on a tree-stump side table.
Tahari is as warm and dry as the color scheme of his atelier. Speaking on the day of his fall collection debut, he recalled what first inspired him to become a designer.
“Fashion was Hollywood; it was glamour,” he recalled. “Early on, when I was a young man, I was excited by the women I saw in Israel and what they were wearing.”
This season, the designer—already a favorite for his women’s sportswear—is expanding his men’s range with a suits line. Look for slim-cut jackets and flat-front pants in a variety of fabrics and styles.
“Men give me more feedback than women about what they want,” he joked. “There’s definitely an opportunity in the market.”
