BEAUTY: Clothing--Undercover

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything from Jun Takahashi's label Undercover (previously here). Maybe I should go back over past seasons and remind myself why I failed to cover them. Anyhow, here we are at Paris Fashion Week and Undercover's SS '25 collection is fascinating, and a bit elusive. Takahashi does love a theme and working meaning, often heavy meaning, into his garments, collections, and presentations. After the show Takahashi mentioned that the collection was a metaphor for the dissolution of borders in order to eliminate conflict. I see what he means...the concept of us vs. them. If there's nothing to invade or fight over, then there is no conflict. Another influence in this collection references a West Asian and Middle Eastern sensibility which can be seen in the lovely, loose silhouettes of soft, flowing material and some prints that feel a bit ethnic. Collars, cuffs, and elbows often showed ribbons to cinch and tie. Art played a subtle but important role as well. The opening section featured a small rendering of an Italianate house that appears to be the one from Edward Hopper's 1925 painting Edward Hopper's 1925 painting "House By The Railroad". A middle section featured cloudy, amorphous images of what could be portraits of people. And the closing section of jackets with short and long skirts were printed with paintings in tones of green created by Takahashi himself. Playing with the theme of borders, he said he wanted to bring femininity to a men's collection since he believes the border separating the two are getting less and less. All of these elements taken together create a swirling enigma, especially considering the models were styled with crowns of leaves and lace masking their eyes. Not everything in life has--or needs--a clear explanation or answer...

http://undercoverism.com/