Chitose Abe can never leave well enough alone… and fashion is the better for it. Her Sacai collection has taken the notion of hybrid dressing to the next level, inspired by deconstruction and in turn inspiring many others who can’t quite pull it off with the same imagination and execution as Abe can. What’s even more remarkable is that she has managed to avoid her own cliché – splicing two ideas together can get old, literally and philosophically. And yet, every season, the way in which she melds, blends and bends the rules thrills. When was the last time you saw a navy peacoat and olive snorkel parka mashed together? Military, meet military.
Abe’s fall Sacai collection carried much of the double-edged ideas she loves – pitting two diverse ideas against each other, like masculine and feminine, soft and hard, military and lady. But this time she also just spliced two good ideas together in some cases. Like streetwear and athleisure, of course rendered in the most luxurious materials. Zipped tennis sweaters were covered in knit fringe and paired with extra large parachute pants in a tender print with zips slashing horizontally down each leg. Or she doubled up on coats, layering a smart checked trench over a nylon topper with exaggerated sleeves. More was more here.
It’s hard to cover all the ideas Abe crammed into the runway, but suffice it to say, there was something for everyone—florals, checks, lace, knits, puffers, furs, tweed, sailor stripes, sweatshirts, asymmetric skirts, jean jackets. It was as if she picked her favorite parts of her wardrobe and put them together. Like an old denim skirt from high school with a lacy slip beneath, paired with a half fur-half nylon puffer jacket.
Abe got a little cheeky, too, with several iconic French looks—the tweed suit and the sailor stripe. The aging tweed showed up here in a youthful cream with black trim sweater, puffer jacket and deconstructed zippered pants. Another colorful tweed was mutated with an anorak and sheer chiffon pleats or paired with a sailor’s sweater trimmed in rows of fringe.
Even the Fair Isle sweater and Scandinavian knit trend was reinvigorated, the patterns executed with pearls and beads instead of knit-and-purl techniques. And when paired with a sheer long skirt, it made for a left-of-center evening statement.
See more of the latest coverage from the Paris Fashion Week fall/winter 2017 shows here and follow us on Instagram (@harpersbazaarsg) for immediate updates!
By Nandini D’Souza Wolfe
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
Related articles:
Harrison Tsui Captures The Best Street Style At Paris Fashion Week FW17
Paris Fashion Week FW17: EIC Kenneth Goh Gives His Dispatch From Day 5 At The Shows