“I think it’s beautiful, but it’s very random,” said Junichi Abe of a patchwork skirt, but he may as well have been speaking of his lively lineup. In lieu of the runway (or even a typical presentation), the collection was shown as a photo session performance; which is to say, invitees became onlookers as models posed one by one for the photos that appear in the lookbook here. Staged, but also serving a purpose, it was the type of mildly voyeuristic experience that broke down the fourth wall, making it easier to get a close view of the designer’s signature collaging and splicing. The main elements in the opening look—fur patchwork coat, wool lace skirt, and buckled fur boots—represented three key pieces, although the recurrence of glen plaid elsewhere made a strong case that this collection was rooted in repurposed tailoring. Abe has a way of giving women’s wardrobe classics an extroverted kick—see: the ruffled white blouse, retro striped cardigan, and graphic skirt encrusted with filmy organza. But the gray wool caban with its lowered button-front paired with elevated outdoorsy pants and a hoodie was just one example of how his menswear strengths carry over as a harmonized marriage of sartorial and sport.
Looking at the outfits during the shoot—the dress, with its integrated, draped scarf, or the funnel-neck, patchwork blouson with a corresponding skirt—it became clear that nothing need be added to them. Abe offers the complete statement. He insisted the point is not to belabor things, but rather to design intuitively and according to the retro-font mantra, Push your mind, that fronted a T-shirt. “It’s not too sophisticated. It’s like kids playing,” he explained. Aha! Maybe that’s why this collection would work well for women of all ages.
