Endings typically conclude a story. Or leave them open to interpretation. So consider the energetic, surprise finale at Adeam, where Japanese artist Kavka Shishido gave a powerful, high-impact drum session after closing the show in a punk-infused Edwardian gown. The performance prompted immediate social media chatter and placed the collection’s inspiration and message into context: fashion should be created to empower and highlight individuality, with a dynamic punk spirit.
That energetic tone is easily applied to the collection, which draws inspiration from Gothic & Lolita, a Japanese street culture rooted in Victorian and Edwardian fashion with elements drawn from punk and rock. Designer Hanako Maeda often turns to her heritage, this season also celebrating a message of beauty in diversity. Few brands can claim as consistently an evolution of refinement, season to season.
Exaggerated sleeves, smocking and cinched-in waists were the tether to Victorian, with pearls also strewn along jacket sleeves, tights and accessories. The strongest looks featured elements of subversion — asymmetry on the neckline of a tailored Army coat, deconstruction in the modern interpretations of Victorian gowns and sheer accents throughout. Various plays on deconstruction, proportion and asymmetry kept the inspiration alive. The diverse cast of models further punctuated individualism.
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“I wanted to create an image of a really strong woman, but not by appropriating clothes of men’s wear dressing or making looks androgynous, but in an uberfeminine way,” Maeda noted backstage after the show. Mission accomplished.