Undercover RTW Spring 2020
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Picking up where he’d left off with his men’s wear last June, Jun Takahashi pared his work back to more elegant, simpler designs. But where he’d eschewed color then, here was a smorgasbord of fuchsia, neon yellow, fluorescent orange and mint green for this women’s lineup full of sharply cut masculine classics and elevated basics.
As is Takahashi’s wont, the saccharine palette was offset by darker thoughts. There was an oddness to boxy shirts paired with opulent, ruffled and detachable trains, or acid-hued bralettes slipped over a polka-dot shirt. The creepy-cute illustrations of Edward Gorey made an appearance as prints and intarsia fabric scenes — vampires and bats, black cats and unsuspecting would-be victims.
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Accessories likewise followed this vein, with neon Plexiglas earrings; similarly bright PVC heels and embroidered platform sandals with felines crawling over them; miniature coin purses no larger than Jacquemus’ famously micro mini-bag; crystallized black cats and teddy bear clutches — the latter with eyes barred in white.
Textile manipulations and embellishments were used to deliver handsome variations, like the tone-on-tone stripe on a jacket and an unfolded accordion pleat on sheer shirts. Prints were worked over with embroidery, creating a 3-D effect, and the spider-web pleating from the men’s collection was also used here, luxed up with sparkling spiders. Denim separates featuring ghostly renditions of Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits from her “Untitled Film Stills,” executed in jacquard.
Elsewhere, the beautifully cut blazers and raincoats cut with contrasting bonded paneling in a of grays, beiges or simple polka dots felt commercial yet congruent with the designer’s original impulses.
As the streetwear that was his signature has become the norm, Takahashi’s sudden focus on tailoring and embellishment felt almost subversive.
Launch Gallery: Undercover RTW Spring 2020
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