Designers are well-versed in crafting public personas. Think Karl Lagerfeld and his sunglasses and white ponytail, Marc Jacobs and his tattooed, gym-hewn physique, or Donatella Versace and her curtain of peroxide-blonde hair. For her fall collection, Tsumori Chisato — not exactly in the same league of household names — set about creating a similarly memorable alter ego in the most humorous way: by starring in her own manga.
Charming hand-drawn self portraits were spliced into comic-strip panels on minidresses that melded athletic references with a Sixties vibe, heightened by the models’ cat-eye sunglasses and sky-high ponytails. A Catwoman-inspired cartoon heroine was emblazoned on everything from a varsity jacket to silky cropped pants. Abstract variations on speech bubbles appeared in color-blocked looks in punchy combinations of pink, yellow, black and white. These had a cute, graphic appeal that was missing in some of the zanier outfits, such as a gold lamé cocoon coat covered with flying pizzas.