One look in Shiho Kaneki’s latest collection sums up the season’s spirit: a green fuzzy coat over a navy short suit over khaki-colored pants with a neon-green stripe over a ripped knit of some kind. Most of the outfits involve several days’ worth of clothes, layered over each other in a mishmash of color and texture. This is Kaneki’s interpretation of Surrealism, his main inspiration for the season. “I was not influenced by any particular painting, but created the collection as if I were practicing Surrealism myself,” he explained over email.
Shades of rust, cobalt, and bright green lend the collection an acidic, fervent feel. What appears to be a shirt or a sweater are actually conjoined pieces, so it’s hard to tell exactly what you’re looking at. I wonder if what I saw in that compellingly complex green, camel, and navy look is actually a coat, pants, a sweater, and a suit, or some Frankenstein-ian emulsion of all four. “Base Mark’s signature has always been layering, a new approach to styling basic items,” Kaneki said, adding, “by connecting two pieces at the collar, knitwear and sweatshirts can be layered, reversed, rolled up, rolled down, or tied for infinite styling expressions to suit your mood.” This fashion is not for the faint of heart; it’s for the artists.
