Andre 3000 previewed his new collection a few weeks ago, personally treating us to a walk-through of his Benjamin Bixby Fall '09 line. With historical detailing and immaculate tailoring, the line is a reflection of his quirky personal style: three parts honorable gentleman and one part dashing, dastardly rogue. There's actually quite a funny story behind the name of the line—if you remember eons ago, Bixby was the fake name Andre dropped to get out of an orchestrated mess on Punk'd. The story behind his new collection though, involves goodies and baddies of a different generation. The main inspiration draws from WWII sky fighters within two rival camps, the Black Barons vs. the Blue Bombers—a style face-off between red and blue.
Benjamin is a stickler for detail and there seems to be a story that goes with each piece. The suiting, for example, is cut from luxury but much rougher fabric than is used today, harking back to traditional Italian suits that you might now only find in a small vintage boutique. Of course there are also the signature 3000 staples, like high-waisted corduroy jodhpurs in sky blue. But aside from the statement pieces that maybe only he can pull off, there are plenty of super wearable classic pieces to be had: plaid pants and rough-suede Norfolk jackets, chunky knit sweaters with light blue pop color collars are all clothes that will see you through more than a season. Benjamin will always reference preppy styling in some shape or form, but what's interesting is how he flips it, like the bright red cords that come spotted with embroidered fighter jets.
