On some deep conceptual level, an Issey Miyake collection remains utterly impenetrable. Whatever the current level of engagement from Issey himself, his acolytes have perpetuated his hybrid of philosophy and fashion to great effect. We read the rationale, then we watch the clothes go by. At which point it barely even matters how the whiz-bang fabric technology produced this or that effect, because the clothes themselves speak utterly winning volumes.
Today, for instance, the theme was light—starlight, moonlight, sunlight—so the show opened with perforated leathers, like stars poking through heaven. It was an effect so delicate that it scarcely interfered with the strong silhouettes. Stronger, in fact, than the usual Miyake sinuousness. But there was an overall sporty, street-y substance to the collection. The shoes had an eerie here-I-am flicker that would alert drivers at night. And the daylight section featured unmissably intense gradations of color, from dawn to dusk. Is there any other label that would be attuned to such subtleties?
Ei Wada, who has contributed to Issey soundtracks in the past, today provided the music as Braun Tube Jazz Band. He essentially turned an army of monitors into theremins, sensitive to his touch. It was so mind-boggling, visually and aurally, that one was happy to take refuge in the (relatively) uncomplicated nature of the clothing.
