This was the second Undercover menswear collection in a row in which Jun Takahashi directly referenced a collection from his past. In this case it was the Cindy Sherman collection of spring 2020. That season saw a menswear show of dark tailoring occasionally printed with Sherman’s film stills, followed by a womenswear lookbook in which the colors burst from the image to inhabit the character of the clothes. These days, Takahashi is showing womenswear on the runway, with menswear confined to a lookbook. So expect a colorful, creepy banger of a womenswear show next month to follow this men’s lookbook preamble.
Not that the collection on show in Undercover’s showroom this season was anything to sniff at. Instead of focusing on tailoring (although there was a little) this collection, entitled Dark Chaos, saw Takahashi turn to Unquiet Luxury. Mostly black with the occasional burst of charcoal, or brown botanical jacquard, and a very rare flash of check or color in knit, the clothes were rendered in luxury materials from Japan and Italy. Key pieces included a black silk padded car coat and flight jacket, a double-structure conjoined tank top wearable in multiple arrangements, and a suite of movie villain black leather so beautiful it represented a clear and present danger to your wallet.
There were two repeat Sherman images from the 2020 collections, and a sprinkling of fresh selects. These were reproduced in patches or print on clothes and even a pair of Vans, and looked like guaranteed must-haves for Undercover collectors. Away from artist collaborations, a partnership with Gramicci saw that label’s signature closures and fastenings added to tailored pants that featured satisfying additional details like zigzag seaming and rough slashes that revealed the satin lining between ankle and hem.
