Robert Geller dishes out Seconds for AW10.

I had planned to do a semi-retrospective/profile on Richard Chai on account of his winning the Swarovski Award for Menswear at last night’s CFDAs (most deserved) today but then I remembered a press release I received a few days back on Robert Geller‘s Seconds AW10 collection which prompted such a series of contradictory reactions that I felt it deserved a good blathering about.

Yes, the name may conjure up images of extra edible helpings but the clothing itself is what’s of chief importance, right? And yet, on first glance, this collection, composed of comfy casuals as it is, could be seen as nothing more than a range of luxe fat-pants and vests. Indeed, I can’t really say I was frothing at the mouth when I unzipped the file to find a mass of monochrome, slouchy separates adorning a glum, lank-haired model.

That said, there’s beauty enough in that. It does, after all, do exactly what it says on the tin – “an elegant yet casual take on classic athletic wear” – which is to be commended in light of that slew of designers who aim to rectify their aesthetic failures through an elaborate and hyperbolic description written by an over-zealous PRO.

Seconds is intended to provide pieces which can be incorporated into your capsule (ooo buzzword!) wardrobe and lend that Teutonic, distinctly dark and simultaneously romantic edge to your look. It makes use of the finest Japanese production and soft washed cotton, which means you’ll be spared the worrying feeling of wearing your trackies outside the house.