Amid all the men’s shows and Resort appointments this week, Maison Kitsuné proposed a detour to the imaginary town of Romance, population 75,001 (the brand’s postal code). The idea sounded tempting: Come here to discover love! As envisioned by cofounders Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, the dream destination channels the mid-century allure of Los Angeles and Miami: laid-back with palm trees and apartment towers that look nothing like Haussmannian Paris. But in the brand’s characteristically playful way, the latest collections explore the theme as a brief visit rather than a major departure. This is most apparent with the surf and cigarette boat motifs—the latter zipping sharply across light jacquard sweaters, as well as on slip-ons. Their answer to the souvenir sweatshirt included Romance as a vintage postcard typeface, or else as the usual Maison Kitsuné script, now attracting a pretty pair of embroidered lovebirds. Beyond that and in general, the clothes weren’t trying too hard. A sharply bordered, breezy jumpsuit and poplin shirt with offset pockets and a bandana-print heart stood out among the women’s lineup; a workwear jacket in rust and faded patchwork shirts, and chinos bordered in black piping showed just enough design differentiation for the guys. The shared emphasis on loosely tailored linen pieces, particularly those that were checked, showed sensitivity towards summer dressing in any city.
The creators said they arrived at Romance upon realizing that people often describe their longtime work partnership as such (bromance obviously didn’t have quite the same ring to it). The approach was instantly witty yet relatable; it offered much to like, if not love.
