Runway: Ernest W. Baker F/W21

A pair of tartan flared trousers. A centerpiece of a collection that is a breakaway and a focal point in the messaging that encompasses the F/W 21 showing of Ernest W. Baker. A striking yet nuanced shift from the Ernest man we have seen before. For Ernest W. Baker’s F/W 21 collection, the Ernest man seems to have juxtaposed his stature. The structured shoulders have relaxed and brought us forward in time to the 90s. The Ernest man seems maybe slumped but statured in his dress codes. He now pairs a lounge pant with a tailored overcoat, a T-shirt with a blazer.

In this collection, Ernest W. Baker diverged from their typical design language but still was able to present a man that was very well put together. Divaricating to a slightly more “lounge-y” aesthetic to divaricate the look of this season from seasons past. The collection was founded on codes that have been rooted in the 70s but pulled them through and allowed them to mesh with the tumultuousness of 2 decades to the 90s.. Ernest W. Baker’s founders stated that the inspiration of this collection stemmed from the varied sentiment and stress of the world over this past year. Exploring the unreal as it unfolds into reality and blending a dreamscape predicated on the emotions of our cultures.

The theme of this collection was a study in contrasts, through lucidity, “passing from the waking to sleeping without the loss of awareness.” A collection based on the idea of uncertainty. Placed into a narrative absent of a middle or end, a flat circle where traditional conventions do not apply to reality. Moments of clarity and moments of fogged hysteria, connecting themselves to the world we currently live in. To properly convey such emotions and sensations, Ernest W. Baker found their medium in cinema.

Portraying a dreamscape of visual stimuli, EWB found their footing in a narrative medium. Producing a dreamy landscape, EWB was able to translate a sensation of unconsciousness. “We collaborated on this project with photographer Vladimir Kaminetsky, who also directed the video and introduced us to the work of Wong Kar-Wai, whose work we drew on to create the aesthetic we wanted to portray throughout the film.”

The Ernest W. Baker man is positioned to deal with the reality of uncertainty, to roll with the tides of the decades. Yet living in a world of contrasts, losing his grip on what is real and what is not.

Check out the full offering from Ernest W. Baker’s F/W 21 collection below.