March 8, 2022 |
This season, Sacai took a new look at layering. Picture this: a classic white button up served as the base of a belted, double-breasted blazer (sans-sleeves), that hung over leather-look leggings with an asymmetric chiffon skirt underlaid for an overwhelming sense of oddity.
Proving quite the spectacle, the Japanese label opted to present its AW22 edit in a grand neo-renaissance ballroom within Paris’s Hotel de Ville – and it was entirely fitting for the impressive collection that cascaded down the catwalk.
Deconstructing and reworking classic silhouettes, creative director Chitose Abe – aka the Fashion Alchamyst – juxtaposed delicate silks and chiffons with sturdy shearling coats and tough twill. Even fitted pinstripe bustiers or camisoles sat on top of chunky wool sweaters with voluminous skirts to match, each garment effortlessly redefining traditional gendered codes of dress.
Elsewhere, cable-knit jumpers were spliced with mesh to host hyperbolised loose strings so shaggy they looked like hair. There were coats in deep sensual shades, stompy rubber-soled boots stretching above the thigh and a deliberate absence of pattern meant to emphasise a focus on shape and silhouette.
What was really special were the sleek Cartier rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces, uniquely crafted for Abe’s collection, that decorated each model for an added sense of elegance.
Photography by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
