Junya Watanabe knows the powers of color and shape, their ability to instantly change the context of a garment. From that point of view, his spring collection was a fascinating study in perception.
The basic silhouette was relatively consistent throughout the show: a loosely constructed long shirt or shirtdress with fits spanning straight, billowing cocoon and blobby. Whether worn over shorts, straight pants or bare legs, almost all looks were adorned with huge loopy rings piled around the neck and shoulders or fashioned into linked overlays, and hats bent into curved, rubbery cartoon shapes.
Beginning in black and white, the show had a medieval gentry slant, like old-world nightshirts, headpieces and ruffs viewed through a warped looking glass. Then the addition of color — bright red, yellow and blue — and pattern blurred the same styles into African tribal kingdom garb. There were zebra stripes, capes in tiger stripes and leopard spots cut in the raw shape of animal hide rugs, as well as batik prints. Beautiful patchwork knits in vivid magenta and orange stood out the most.
You May Also Like
The clothes were not an obvious display of Watanabe’s razor-sharp pattern-making or world-class tailoring. Cuts seemed simple, shapeless except for the fact that shapes were everywhere, especially in the head and shoulder area. The headgear and jewelry, if it can be called that, defined the collection.
The designer’s notes on the show stated, “This season Junya Watanabe simply wanted to create accessories,” noting that the materials used to create the abstract wearable objects included aluminum from a Japanese factory not known for fashion and bonded silk and faux patent leather. If the accessories trumped the clothes in terms of creative construction, there’s still nothing more wearable than a nice shirtdress.