Naoki Takizawa might be new to the New York schedule, but this Tokyo native isn t short of experience: He spent more than 26 years working with Issey Miyake, his mentor-turned-business partner (the fledging line is produced by Miyake s company).
Having established his studio last year, Takizawa decided to take his show on the road, debuting the collection here rather than Paris, Miyake s stomping ground, simply because he wanted a change. "It s something new for me," he said backstage. It was something new for the audience too, when, before the lights went down, models suddenly appeared and sat in front-row seats or perched themselves on the runway. Takizawa wasn t about to do his show backward or anything as arch as that, though. Rather, he opened with tunics and pants, obi-belted jackets, and dresses with studlike detailing that mingled with a few awkwardly ruched leathers, some paired with midriff-baring tops.
A potential differentiating point for this line is its use of technology—a "memory system technique" that allows fabrics to keep their original appearance was one instance; foil printing in copper and sterling silver was another. If fact, the real standout pieces in a somewhat mixed bag were the pleated ones that evoked classical dress rather than anything high-tech (despite the fact they are made from "densely woven microscopic filaments"). Smoking looks featuring pleated lapels gave way to a series of silk-nylon goddess dresses—some trailing angel-winglike streamers—that brought to mind Alber Elbaz s more proper take on pleating. But by applying a deconstructive "pleat and release" approach, Takizawa left his own mark on the Grecian formula.
