Photosensitive fabrics are right up Kunihiko Morinaga’s alley. The Anrealage designer continued to play with optical illusions for fall, sending out looks that changed their colors and patterns upon contact with the runway’s ultraviolet spotlights. “Light up the dark — to see what is not there,” was the mantra for this futuristic and somewhat entertaining production, which featured models wearing charcoal-like helmets, their skin painted black.
Morinaga focused on uniformlike coats and knitwear, all cut from a circle to produce softer silhouettes, which offset the lineup’s stark palette (with the occasional flare of color). The shapes’ repetitive nature only reinforced that the nylon, corduroy and wool fabrics were the stars here. Seemingly all black at first glance, their true nature — polka dots, colorful floral patterns, checks and tartans — was revealed by the spotlights. The effect was also used to highlight round inserts on wool coats and jackets.