Liam Hodges liked Donna Tartt’s novel, The Goldfinch. He read it twice and listened to the audiobook. He even took a trip with friends to Las Vegas, where parts of the book are set, for “research purposes only.”
Hodges channeled that mood of broken America into a playfully confident collection that tapped into the gaudy codes of sin city, including leopard prints, flames, tracksuits, dice and witty slogans such as “Crapped Out” on a shiny sand-colored bomber.
There was even a T-shirt printed with a centurion chest plate, inspired by Joey from “Friends” dressed as a Roman centurion in Vegas.
Bowling shirts came thick and fast: Some had multihued panels appliquéd with leopard-print flames, while others tended toward the Hawaiian and were printed with loud hibiscuses. A pair of plaid pajamas with white-piped edges and drawstring jeans in bleached denim were winners.
Hodges also took a gamble on trousers with patched or mismatched legs, but it turned out to be a losing bet.
