Wearing a garment two ways is so 2021, even for Beautiful People designer Hidenori Kumakiri. This time around, three is the magic number for the majority of these transformable garments inspired by a Japanese poem titled “Be not Deafeated by the Rain.” But permutations go up to 24 for one extravagant lace look, which is the star of the first minute of this season’s film.
The look: One part Wonder Woman spin-and-transform outfits, one part solution for messy people. Jackets, dresses and even trousers that can just be grabbed and slipped on without ever worrying about putting it on wrong — every way works!
Quote of note: “It’s like when you wake up in the morning and you just pick up the clothing without being fully awake, wearing them any way and it turns out beautiful. And [the outfit] still makes sense,” the designer said over Zoom from his Japanese studio, describing the clothes as “onigiri garments,” after the popular triangle-shaped rice food item.
Standout pieces: The 24-way dress; an oversize black-and-white silk playsuit with lace trim; a Mondrian-style color-blocked sweater turns into a graphic cardigan, and a poncho; a pair of over-wide denim jeans in a blue gradient, with the matching jacket; a white duster with colorful stripes running across the edges.
Takeaway: There are plenty of ideas behind Kumakiri’s work, including the idea of consuming less with transformable items, but in the end, it’s the playful cleverness applied to more quotidian garments that makes them stand out.
