"Kenzo would like to remind you there is no planet B. Please protect what is precious," an avatar announced in multiple languages before the start of this morning's show at a skate park near Paris' Périphérique. "Climate departure" talk can turn the sunniest personalities into pessimists, but that wasn't the plan today. In the past, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have worn their politics on their sleeves. Ominous message from the Kenzo avatar aside, the vibes here were optimistic and upbeat.
The new collection was a mash-up of the skater culture of Leon's and Lim's California childhoods and the atelier workmanship of their adopted city, with a soupçon of Kenzo Takada's native Japan. Skate-kid palazzo pants with enormous leg openings shared the catwalk with calf-length trumpet dresses in graphic, Eiffel Tower-inspired lace. Broderie anglaise in the blocky letters of the Kenzo logo mingled with pale blue denim cut into easy, relaxed pieces. It was an energetic mix—the streetwise sensibility of the skater silhouettes softened by the presence of elegant 1920s shapes. A few of the looks were too slouchy; it was hard to find the model inside a printed pink oversize jacket and split-seam palazzo pants. But there was a nice athleticism to a tank and floor-length skirt laser-cut in tiny dots. And a sack coat with rubberized detailing on the lapels worn with swaggering blue jeans was a smart blending of Leon and Lim's old and new habitats. If it should come to planet B climate-wise, their shower sandals looked seaworthy.
