Kolor’s Junichi Abe prefers not to dwell on story lines. But before his latest show, he obliged a bit of fashion-speak, especially when asked to identify details that may not be discernible to the runway eye. It may have been too difficult to tell, for instance, that the multilayered look worn by Model No. 5 was one integrated piece. Or that a delicate hemstitch joined two contrasting panels of a sumptuous sweater coat. He likened the double-face wool suiting with an inner spongy filament to the structure of a cardboard packing box. On the runway, it had more bounce, less droop, than classic wool. Today’s Mad Men won’t need much persuading.
Elsewhere, the leopard spot effect that spread across bottom halves of British check jackets and top parts of navy wool pants was flocked. Apparently, the animal touches—see also the meticulously patterned calf-hair jacket—represented Abe’s attempt to explore the common ground between our natural and modern worlds. But with that in mind, how does one explain the crooked metallic yoke on pants, or the deliberately misaligned silvery bands on a jacquard jacket?
This much is clear: For Abe, perfection is relative. The seaweed green velvet, sourced from a well-known velvet factory in Japan, initially struck him as “too elegant,” so he worked to make its hue uneven. “It’s a very small thing but very important for me,” he said. But it’s also important for us. His clothes are so respected because the points of differentiation—whether a truncated placket or pleats at the knees—are often nearly imperceptible. An attraction to them speaks as much to a respect for the particularities as for the desire to be perceived as having discerning taste.
