SANDY DALAL: FALL/WINTER 2000 MEN'S: "THE RIGHT KIND OF RANDOM..."

Trust Sandy Dalal to reveal the true sexiness of The Dweeb. In the designer's fall/winter 2000 men's show, it was the clunky striped suits that gave it all away: close-fitting but still nicely undertailored sacks that say "I grew two inches since last semester but have been too busy lying around with my guitar to buy any new clothes." Yet these suits aren't ironic, exactly. They are for serious dress-up-- they just acknowledge that dress-up occasions, like an audience with the headmaster, can be a little squirmy. (Nobody in Prada or Helmut Lang squirms, right?)

Now, Dalal's overcoats, they're ironic. They look luxurious and flowy and sculpted, like something you'd borrow from dad. Put 'em over one of the suits and damn if that skinny, greasy-haired boy doesn't look like he deserves a big "A" for effort.

Also seen on the runway: sleeveless sweaters I also wanna call "neckless," though they were described in the program as crew-necked, which is way too structured a term for them. The silhouettes of Dalal's whole collection speak of the right kind of random: running off without definite rule or method.