Guests at the Issey Miyake show had plenty of time to admire the set: a series of abstract white shapes — think of an ice floe as seen by Xavier Veilhan — that dotted a cavernous space at the back of the AccorHotels Arena.
Their jagged geometric forms were mirrored in the graphic patterns on the dresses that creative director Yoshiyuki Miyamae sent out 50 minutes after the scheduled start time. To be fair, the previous show had begun late, and to Miyamae’s credit, the outfits were worth the wait.
Always on the hunt for new techniques, he introduced Cut & Stick, which does exactly what it says: a stiff fabric was cut into geometric shapes that were bonded onto fluid jersey, helping to shape the fabric.
Shardlike panels stood out on a series of sack dresses, while tone-on-tone mosaic patterns subtly enhanced trenchcoats in bubblegum pink and mint green. When used as a smaller motif on a black jumpsuit, the technique gave the fabric a scaly feel, while on a wrap shirt and matching pants, it was used to create fetching blue-and-white stripes.
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Miyamae also updated the bouncy pleated dresses and heat-molded jackets — this time in sculptural concentric squares — that have become a mainstay of the Japanese label.
He kept the innovation flowing with geishalike, block-heeled shoes and an “electronic bag” developed with Sony’s Fashion Entertainment unit, featuring seven changing patterns using electronic paper — the technology used in e-book readers — that was hole punched and woven with leather tape.