Who knew jumpsuits would make an appearance again? 3.1 Philip Lim showed a blue version with pinstripes (the Hundredth Monkey moment for the season)...
...while Vuitton showed a collection based on Indian Shisha embroidery which attaches small mirrors, usually round, to fabric. Creative director Kim Jones is an adventurer and likes to travel to exotic lands. Past collections have seen Jones visit the Himalayas to research Bhutan silk brocade. For this collection, he traveled to India. And here we have Shisha on a flightsuit!
Another truly huge trend was the imagery and culture of Japan. McQueen showed a restrained collection of suits but festooned with the graphics from Kabuki theater make-up. Walter Van Beirendonck used Japanese silk brocades and a circular motif that looked like ancient Japanese family crests called Mon. Astrid Andersen showed sunset colored kimonos and accessories worn by Sumo wrestlers. AGI & SAM showed spartan, minimalist Zen-inspired pieces. And Craig Green showed us deconstructed Samurai padding in his highly-lauded anti-war statement. So it might be strange for me to point out that Junya Watanabe, a Japanese designer, showed a collection influenced by classical Japan, but look at Watanabe's past collections and see suits, Fair Isle knits, Depression-era patchwork work wear... so it is worth mentioning that Watanabe used traditional indigo blue boro, the traditional Japanese patchwork fabric of ancient peasant clothing. Models in lacquered hairpieces created by by Tomihiro Kono, and reminiscent of styles worn by Sumo wrestlers, wore boro or a close cousin, denim, decorated with Japanese designs of chrysanthemums, waves, dragons, or bamboo lattice.
Cerutti 1881 Paris: menswear designer Aldo Maria Camillo's recent trip to California sparked in his imagination a look that "surfed" between sportswear and suiting. Most of the collection did just that in a pleasant but plain way. But his silky tunics in Bohemian patterns fluttering under suit jackets were lovely...
...but what I really liked was the tasseled loafer-sandal, eerily close to what Ferragamo was showing, shown with toeless socks eerily similar to Andrea Pompilio!
And speaking of shoes, Miharayasuhiro found my weakness: metallic shoes. Look at those chukka boots--half or full metallic. The lace ups are great and the sneakers (trainers) are so fun. I actually have a pair of silver sneakers I bought years ago in Florence and I have worn them to death... I just love them.
https://www.31philliplim.com/
http://www.louisvuitton.com/
http://www.cerruti.com/
http://www.miharayasuhiro.jp/
