Few designers will have as much impact this season, for men or women, as Chitose Abe, whose Sunday afternoon show in Paris was a smash hit of composed, fresh, put-together attitude.
Staged inside the Carreau du Temple, a glass and wrought iron market building from the late 19th century, this was an epic spectacle. The venue is known for hosting some of the most legendary shows by master designers: Helmut Lang, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Riccardo Tisci, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Giambattista Valli, to name a few.
Add Abe to that list, with his nomadic superhero parkas, quilted Mao jackets, and giant men's pants. Seen before brave Himalayan mohair sweaters and black kilts. Best of all, the composite trench coat is paired with the spy coat in vertical panels of rubberized cotton and felt wool.
The collection was the last truly major show in the two-week, three-city international menswear season that began in Florence on Monday evening, January 8.
In a mixed collection, women's clothing was even bolder. Abe devised sensational cocoon vests, over pleated silk skirts, both with deep military pockets; vests with huge mutton sleeves and fur-trimmed baseball jackets. All in a Space Age silver tone.
Abe also linked up with New York graphic artist Marc Gonzales, whose tributes to his skateboard and quirky lyrics appeared on about 10 looks. Mainly on sweatshirts and tops, but also sewn in this composite tailoring. Cloth badges that say Gonz and Sacai, Sacaigonz, Good Vibes Tribe or even look like fake military insignia. One top was simply a hand raising a finger over the legend One Love. The same one Abe herself used when she bowed to huge applause.
“Something very impactful recently happened in my life, so I wanted to celebrate life by creating a united and informed collection, sending love,” Abe said backstage in Japan after the show.
She also paired brightly curved high-necked shearling blouses with short silk bloomers over thigh-high boots. Badass buccaneer style throughout. And on the court was Chitose's latest union with JM Weston, with two new styles: Golf Derbies and Worker Boots. Mounted on a shoe sole developed especially for the occasion by the Limoges workshop team, both captured Abe's unpredictable signature touch.
Like the clothes, the music was a huge mix of heavy rock, serial music, strange splotches and blurs of sound worthy of a horror movie and a final anthem, 'Tonight, Tonight' by The Smashing Pumpkins.
“I always feel like I have to explore new ideas. And a new silhouette, that's why I call all this Uniforms,” she added, almost dizzy with emotion.
Copyright © 2024 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
