Hot town, summer in the city: SHIKI by Shinichi Mathy

June 26th, 2008 at 08:06pm Ryan Darragh

Designer Shinichi Mathy described himself to me as “a newcomer to the SL fahion scene.”  He may have arrived relatively recently, but I hope he sticks around for a while.  His shop SHIKI presents a generous collection of unabashedly colorful, breezy casual designs for men, and a handful of items for women.  I’m pretty sure the shop was redesigned within the last few days–it had a completely different layout when I made a quick last-minute visit last night.  Things do come and go so quickly around here.

Although I’m not featuring them here today, you’ll also find a few decidedly informal suits…perhaps just the thing for a summer garden party or evening cocktail cruise.  The pieces I’m wearing here are just a small selection from Shinichi’s Spring and Summer ‘08 collections.

Here you see the Bouquet Shirt (L$180), which impressed me right off with its bright colors and bold pattern.  The detailing is attractively finished as well, with distinct but subtle drop shadows under the narrow collar and along the front placket.  As you see, it can be worn tucked or untucked, and open or closed at the neck.  The fabric textures have an overall softness that I associate with hand drawing, and Shinichi confirmed my guess:  “Everything is hand-drawn, from the textures all the way down to the last button.”  His attention to detail shows in the deceptively simple Blue Denims (L$160, also available in Red and Green).  Look closely and you’ll notice floral-print fabric detailing on both front and back pockets–a nice touch that makes otherwise straightforward jeans into something that’s distinctively Shinichi’s own.

The colorful Passion Pants (L$120) might not be for the faint of heart or the sartorially uncertain, but the man with some confidence can surely make them work.  The bold print calls for a simpler shirt, or no shirt…or you can just clash.  These are big, bright and perfect for a tropical vacation getaway, lounging in the cabana on the beach and ordering round after round of fruity tropical drinks.  Have a Mai Tai for me while you’re at it. 

Shinichi’s tanktops are deeply scooped at the neck and have contrasting ribbing at collar and armholes.  Wear them tucked or untucked, as you prefer.  A designer’s tag or logo decorates the otherwise plain but realistically textured fabric in back.  You can choose from Blue, Mandarin and Lemon colors.  They’re available individually for L$120 each, as a set of three colors for L$250, or as outfits combined with pants, as shown here.  The pants (L$180 separately) are rolled to the knee by means of sculpted rolled cuffs, and include a long flexi belt decorated with Japanese characters.

I’ve been wearing the Lemongrass Outfit (L$300) everywhere for the last couple of days, just because it’s fun and summery and it gave me the opportunity to try out the greens in D2TK’s awesome color-changing beach sandals (wow, I hope these are still available).  The shirt can be worn tucked or untucked–ordinarily I’d go for the more casual untucked look, but the hem does slightly cover the belt, possibly making it somewhat unclear what the long flexi section is connected to.  The belt is surprisingly cool-looking and deserves to be seen.

Like Shinichi’s other, plain pants, these include sculpted rolled cuffs.  I find it realistic that the prim cuffs don’t match the clothing-layer pants exactly–the back side of printed fabric doesn’t look the same as the front side, or even finished, unless it’s intentionally reversible.  The pattern is simpler here, but the colors are still strong and bright.  Careful detailing includes flap pockets in back, echoing those of the shirt.

All permissions are Modify / Copy / No Transfer.  These designs and other great summer casual wear are all available at SHIKI (Jonetsu Isle2 RAKUEN 44, 37, 23).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Yes | Friends List: No

Notes: On Ryan: "Antonio" skin by Funk Schnook (FNKY!). "Liam" hair by Wicked Loudon (Dernier Cri). Beach Bum sandals by tatoo Korvin (D2TK). "Stars" gold and leather jewelry by Mhaijik Guillaume (Mhaijik Things).

Entry Filed under: Casual, Designer Reviews, Jeans, Outfits, Pants, SHIKI Design, Shirts, Shorts