With samsara, the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, as his inspiration this season, Takafumi Tsuruta said he wanted to show the beauty of the various phases of life, from birth to death. That translated into an art-project vibe wrapped around clothes that were, at their core, quite wearable.
He opened with a man in a wheelchair — this is becoming a recurring theme for the designer as he featured a wheelchairbound woman in a wedding dress last season — and then sent out “pregnant” models wearing tiedyed frocks and smocklike dresses resembling hospital gowns. That led to school-uniform references, a girl’s sailor suit with flared legs among them, and funky takes on funeral garb, such as men in veils. A model in a velour bustle dress and tulip-shaped headpiece made for one of the more dramatic exits, as did another covered in flowers and sporting a black hat with long fabric panels enveloping her like a cocoon.