"They're clothes I want to wear next summer," explained Junya Watanabe after a nautically themed show that was as direct as anything he's offered before. The prospect of going boating must make him very happy indeed, because the soundtrack was the kind of bubbly jazz funk that underscored good times in bygone days. It was that ideal weekend moment that Watanabe's holidaywear evoked: sailing away in a mackintosh jacket in a jaunty shade of red or yellow, a Breton striped knit, and a flat cap. Or perhaps you'll opt for a more classic navy parka and sailor sweater.
This designer has always been remarkably good at fetishizing practical western clothing, serving it back to us in ways that make it seem almost inexplicably irresistible. (His huntin', shootin', and fishin' collection, for example.) This time, that alien tug was missing, perhaps because what we saw was just what we got: crisp, fresh, summery, suburban clothes in preppy shades of navy, sky blue, and pink, not to mention stripes. Lots of stripes. It felt so familiar that there was no Watanabe frisson—unless, of course, you count as a thrill the vision of him settling behind the tiller for a day of tacking and jibing.
