For Chitose Abe s Sacai presentation, she set up a series of high-def cameras and trained them on the models as they ascended their gallery plinths. On screens behind them, details of their outfits appeared: a binocular swoop onto hems and cuffs, fabrics, and the rubber-painted desert boots (by Clarks, because who improves on those?) that she customized for the show. It s not every designer whose work stands up to that level of scrutiny, but Sacai thrives in the close-up. Her odd combinations of fibers, patterns, even genres of clothing—she s famous for shirts that end with panels of drawstring-laced nylon, like windbreakers—can t be called subtle, and yet, like a magic trick, you find yourself staring, trying to see how they work.
This season, she turned her attention to traditional menswear patterns and to florals. Both are well-worn territory, but Abe s a dab hand. She printed houndstooth and Prince of Wales on nylon jackets and shirts, layering them to glossy, twinset effect. College-scarf stripes, picked out in grosgrain, were great on a hooded parka, layered over a matching sweatshirt. And Abe s jacquard florals, densely packed together on dark, neutral colors, took on a camouflage effect. Even the simplest pieces, like a two-tone polo that suggested a shirt collar flapping over a sweater, had a little spark. Abe doesn t bother with themes, backstories, or explanations. Nor does she come in from Japan for the show. The clothes speak for themselves. It s to their credit that they tell their story convincingly, even—maybe especially—at 10x zoom.
