Chitose Abe chopped and sliced her way through this collection, creating hybrid silhouettes for men and women from a few of her favorite things: A handful of gold pleats here, a bit of putty-toned knitwear there and tweed married to twill.
The show was called “Cut Up,” and Abe said it was about tearing apart garments and pulling out her favorite elements to create something new. She said she wanted the collection, which included 12 pre-fall women’s looks and a few pieces from a new collaboration with The North Face, to have a mysterious feel. How could it not, with Abe playing fashion’s puzzle master?
The result was a glorious mosaic of color and texture, with a utility and streetwear vibe. There were chunky herringbone jackets and parkas with strips of blue velvet lining their high, upturned collars, and denim pieces, too, with sparkles at the back or strips of embroidery running down the front. Velvety puffers had contrast tape details and linings, while trenches and tweed jackets both had embroidered button fastenings at the neck, like the ones found on lederhosen.
She splashed a pixelated camouflage print onto big faux-fur coats and trousers, and fused a raspberry red tweed fabric with twill for a jaunty cape coat/trench. A navy, military style women’s coat with shiny buttons was finished on the sleeves and at the bottom with shaggy fur, while a long dress was an elegant patchwork of gold and green pleated fabric, and a floppy turtleneck with bell sleeves.
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There were layers galore, including an olive and navy anorak from The North Face layered over a yellow paisley silk dress, or a forest green puffer from the American brand worn with a teal dress with sheer black panels. Classic gray blazers flashed from under olive nylon bombers while the sleeves of a black-and-white herringbone jacket poked from the armholes of a long, sleeveless shearling vest.
Keeping up with the fast-paced show required a laser focus, but it was worth it just to catch a glimpse of Abe’s wild cut-and-paste world.