For one of the more hotly anticipated shows of Tokyo Fashion Week, Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi of Mint Designs said they aimed to create “a classic faded world view for modern times.” They noted that black-and-white movies and photos, “foggy air” and “faded colors” inspired them this season.
The collection, which riffed on Fifties and Sixties silhouettes, definitely had a noir feel about it, thanks mostly to the sheer patterned scarves obscuring the models’ faces in numerous exits. One of the most stunning fabrics was an intricate silver-gray lace that was worked into a wrap dress and a light jacket. Another long-sleeve dress, in a knee-skimming silhouette Tippi Hedren might have worn, featured a retro shoe print. On the edgier side, shiny strips of what appeared to be white, black, green and red electrical tape created abstract linear designs on some of the later offerings, among them a sharp-looking pleated gray skirt paired with a sleeveless turtleneck in a geometric design.