Sidewalk Catwalk - John Bartlett

Welcome to the second installment of my Sidewalk Catwalk series.

John Bartlett is a native of Cincinnati, born 1963. Graduated from Harvard in 1985, having majored in sociology.  Bartlett enrolled in Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.  After FIT he worked with Willi Smith and other prominent design houses.

In 1992 John Bartlett launched his own label, supplying orders from such iconic fashion stores of Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys.  He expanded into womenswear in 1997.  After a sabbatical to Thailand and Cambodia in 2003, John Bartlett returned, providing not only finely constructed and tailored clothing designs but also furnishings and accessories.  In 2007 the John Bartlett flagship store was opened in the West Village of New York City

According to a post at http://www.answers.com/topic/john-bartlett-american-designer, by Richard Martin: “Bartlett is a designer of convictions and of compellingly suggestive and allusive menswear. His spring/summer 1995 collection demonstrated the designer's learned and connected awareness of culture.”  Also, “Bartlett's designing capacity exploded in 1997 with the premiere of his first womenswear collection. "Designing for men is about subtlety; but women want fantasy. And I don't want to follow someone else's lead," Bartlett told Newsweek writer Frank DeCaro in April 1997.”  I agree.  John Bartlett's design for Sidewalk Catwalk is indeed compelling, and sensual, and for the woman who is very self-confident.  Many of the Sidewalk Catwalk designs are interpretations and not intended for actual use.  But this Sidewalk Catwalk design is one that I could definitely wear (given the proper fabrication).

This fall John Bartlett relaunches his womens collection, coinciding nicely with the Sidewalk Catwalk exhibit.  Of all the fashion designs on display, John Bartlett's is in my list of top 3 designs.  The silhouette is elegant and the fabrication of the “fabric” incredibly intricate yet giving the sense of being touchable, drawing one in close for a fuller experience on a tactile level.

Awards include the first menswear designer to receive the Perry Ellis Award for Best Newcomer” 1993.  Menswear Designer of the Year in 1997.  Designer of the Year by the American Apparel and Footwear Association in 2010.

Be sure to stroll down Broadway, from Times Square to Herald Square and enjoy the mannequins in the Sidewalk Catwalk.  Exhibit ends September 3, 2010, so hurry.