Though Kenzo collections usually play out as large-scale shows, this one, a play in two acts within the courtyard of a landmark school, scaled new heights. As in, during the interlude separating the men’s and womenswear, aerial dancers rappelled down the wall, each couple performing a vertiginous pas de deux meant to evoke an imagined meeting of two specific muses, Sayoko Yamaguchi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. She, an international supermodel closely connected to Kenzo Takada, who passed away in 2007; he, a contemporary musician whose compositions are simultaneously sensitive and synthetic. Together, an Asian-inflected portrait merging past with present that motivated Carol Lim and Humberto Leon toward looks that were color-saturated, assertively styled, and downright spiffy. “We’ve gone political; we’ve addressed climate; we’ve gone on very topical things, and we wanted to almost step back and really have fun with this collection,” Leon explained. “I think we use our platform so instinctively for different reasons, and we just wanted to use it for joy.”
As Act One began, guys crisscrossed the vast, patterned-tile courtyard sporting suits made distinctive by stacked pockets and chain ringed around the shoulder. Buttoned-up soon gave way to bold with high-waist, belted pants inspired by ’50s baseball trousers, which defined ultra-slim physiques that caught the eye even more than the vivid patterns supplied by Sakamoto himself. T-shirts fronted with album covers and sport jerseys declaring “Love will make a better you” spoke directly to those who expect the brand to keep turning out graphic, zeitgeist-y collectables.
Act Two depicted girls whose looks toggled between vintage and future thanks to deconstructed patchwork dresses and optical separates like frilled bike shorts that looked great under boxy, double-breasted blazers and oversize shirting. The palette had an air of Memphis movement; the attitude felt like the photos of Daido Moriyama. Perhaps mere coincidence, but the vertical-striped socks called to mind Daniel Buren’s famous marble columns in the Palais Royal, not far from the brand’s HQ. Surrounding the collections’ stated muses seemed myriad other references that combined and clashed to dynamic effect.
It’s taken until now to point out that the cadre of models was entirely Asian, some coming from Japan, China, and Korea for the show. “We took a really directional casting this season,” said Leon, pointing out the diversity within the framework. This, he said, was their way of truly reflecting the muses as closely as possible. And when the two collections came together at the end, the two expressions did, indeed, coalesce—but more tellingly, the sheer number of looks (83 in total) was an expression of commercial breadth. As the final show on the Paris men’s calendar, the production made for quite the blockbuster finale, with or without the interlude. Had the students been there, it would have rocked their world.
