Sometimes, fashion shows are about more than clothes. And this year's New York Fashion Week: Men's was a great example of that, hosting the inaugural Blue Jacket Fashion Show to benefit prostate cancer research. Partnering with Johnson & Johnson, the event drew a lineup of celebrities and fashion insiders including New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, Bill Nye, Carson Kressley, and Barneys creative ambassador-at-large Simon Doonan.
Each celebrity was paired up with a designer—including Nick Graham, John Varvatos, Thom Browne, Joseph Abboud, Robert Geller, and Theory—who provided their take on the traditional blue blazer. Looks included classic dinner jackets, seersucker blazers, blue denim trucker jackets, military coats, and one very shiny morning coat. The show was a kickoff event for the Blue Jacket Initiative, founded by Frederick Anderson and Laura Miller of marketing agency Anderson/Miller, to raise awareness and create an open dialogue about prostate cancer.
We caught up with Victor Cruz, Bill Nye, Nick Graham, and Simon Doonan to talk blue jackets, bow ties, cancer research, and men's fashion.
Victor Cruz
Cruz wore a slim, button-front, tonal-striped jacket by John Varvatos.
On his ideal blue jacket:
"A blue denim jacket. I wear hoodies underneath it in the wintertime, I wear tank tops underneath it in the summertime—I can wear it any season. It's one of my favorite pieces."
On his personal style:
"I'm trying to mesh street style and tailoring. That's exactly how I dress. Tailored from the waist down, and then hoodies and technical fabrics, different types of bombers, and layers. I'm just trying to fuse the two to see what happens."
On how he got into menswear:
"I've always been into it, but my first real introduction to menswear was in 2011 when Calvin Klein brought me to Milan. I got to see my first fashion show in Milan; that's an insane way to become a menswear aficionado. It started from there and just grew."
On some of his favorite brands:
"I love Todd Snyder. I love John Elliott and Chris Stamp of Stampd. I love Ovadia & Sons, Givenchy, Thom Browne...all those guys."
Bill Nye
Nye wore a floral silk dinner jacket by Nick Graham.
On why the event matters so much to him:
"My dad had prostate cancer. So many men get it, but there's a marker, so people think that we'll be able to overcome it. So when I was asked if I wanted to do it I said, 'Heck yes.'"
On how he came to wear bow ties:
"The bow tie started when I was in 11th grade. The boys are the waiters at the girls' athletic banquet. And I thought, if we're waiters, there will be at least a moment where the girls have to talk to me. So I thought if we're going to be waiters, let's dress like waiters, and my dad, who's very good with knots, showed me how to tie a bow tie. The trick to learn it is to tie it around your leg. So I tied everybody's tie at the banquet. Then I dabbled with straight ties, but I realized a bow tie is a huge advantage. It doesn't fall into your soup."
Nick Graham
The founder of Joe Boxer and owner of his eponymous menswear label, Graham designed the jacket for Bill Nye.
On the inspiration for the jacket:
"Bill Nye was the inspiration for the jacket. I could say it was molecular and fake it, but it's not. It's blue floral paisley, and it just seemed to fit with this event so well. Plus he wears my stuff a lot."
On how he got involved with the Blue Jacket Initiative:
"They reached out to me through Bill. And it just seemed to make sense because we've done so much together. It was just really nice to be involved in this. And since it's a male cancer initiative, it was a no brainer."
On why he loves the color blue
"Blue is the number one color in our eyeball—how we think. Blue is the one that's most responsive, not just to men but to women as well. It's the color of the sky, the color of the ocean."
Simon Doonan
Doonan wore a blazer, floral shirt, and jeans from Theory.
On how he settled on his look for the night:
"I went into the Theory store for fitting, and I said to them, 'I don't look good in conventional clothes. I'm going to look like a ventriloquist's dummy if you put me in a shirt and tie and jacket.' And I saw this woman's top. I thought, 'I could make it a bit more Dries [Van Noten] feeling, but with Theory.'"
On how he got involved with the Blue Jacket Fashion Show:
"They called me and I say yes to everything. I was waiting by the phone with a full face of makeup on. It rang and here I am."
On the versatility of a blue blazer:
"Think about someone like Paul Smith: He'll do a classic pinstripe, he'll do a Nehru jacket in navy linen—there are many ways to slice it. And then there's the super-traditional Savile Row blue blazer. So there's a million ways to do it."
