This was a deceptively simple Sacai collection. Not least because Chitose Abe stepped away from the runway this season, opting instead for a static presentation of the clothes in this lookbook at the Sacai HQ on the Left Bank. As the T-shirt she was wearing implied, despite how forward-looking or concept-driven her work can present when on the runway, Abe makes everyday clothes. “All day everyday,” read the slogan printed across her tee. And that’s what she made sure to underscore in conversation: That the cornerstone of Sacai is that it is meant to be a wardrobe. Elevated, sure, but there’s no reason why these shouldn’t be the clothes you wear, well, all the time.
Abe explained through her interpreter that the season’s starting point was a white cotton cashmere tuxedo, its versatility and simplicity becoming a stand-in for the broader Sacai endeavor. Abe’s touch, particularly her signature garment hybridization, has become a source of inspiration for many and it’s easy to clock off the runways. This may be why, in recent seasons, her runway collections seemed to have moved into becoming concept-driven and built around a singular theme as opposed to being more broad contributions to her body of work—see the rawness of her disheveled furs from her January men’s show or the streamlined, gestural sensuality of the women’s one from March. Still Sacai, but presented as more specific, singular statements.
What was on display at Abe’s showroom this time was, instead, a sharp and clear reminder of the core tenets of Sacai. Was the intention to clean the slate or reset? Not at all, she said, answering the question this time sans translator. It was, instead, just to show this side of the label. Ditto opting out of the runway this season—no broader point being made here other than switching things up. Fair enough.
Much of fashion has started to once again opt for thinness, in castings for the runways and in the proportions of clothes, but not Abe. Instead, as exemplified by that very look, the dominant silhouette in this collection was dictated by a wide, ballooning trouser and a voluminous sleeve. In many ways this was a collection about sleeves, each more fascinating than the other. They appeared slashed and open down to the elbows or rounded out entirely; made with extra volumes optionally released by zippers or with double shoulder-caps and bell-like hems; simple and curvaceous or intricately cut and folded in ways too puzzling to describe with mere words. Such technical prowess is hard to see on a runway; it was a joy to be able to experience it up close.
Even more fun: After starting the day at the Sacai HQ, the fashion crowd was summoned to end it there too, this time with the promise of Japanese food and karaoke. Some of your favorite fashion editors, publicists, and multi-hyphenates belted out everything from Elvis and George Michael to Japanese pop and even Shakira (this last one may or may not have been yours truly). As a treat, the artist D4vd, who was in attendance as a guest, decided to sing his viral hit “Here With Me.” The true star of the show, however, was Abe herself. She ended the night with a rendition of “Empire State of Mind” accompanied by a choir of guests. She was wearing a little Sacai frock, as were many others in the room. Undeniable proof that hers are clothes not just made to live in every day, but to seize every moment
#Sacai #Resort #Collection #Vogue
