Keisuke Yoshida forwent a runway show this season to hold his first presentation in the building that, come spring, will also house the designer’s first store. A field of sea lavender decorated the concrete space, and from the purple flowers sprang this season’s tight edit of 14 looks.
Yoshida’s emotionally charged shows, which feature his potent vision of mature femininity and lean heavily on characterization, are often highlights in Tokyo. This season, however, the designer wanted to pull back. “I wanted to return to the slow process of making the clothes and do something quieter and more ambient,” he said. “Usually I’ll be in my studio putting the clothes on the mannequins just like this, so I thought it would be a realistic way to hold a presentation.”
The risk is that without the smoke and mirrors of a runway show, clothes hung on a mannequin can look flat and lifeless. Fortunately, Yoshida’s cutting is exceptional, and it was refreshing to take the time to see his clothes up close.
The high-necked black silk blouse in the first look was hand-ruched and exquisitely tailored to the body—sexy yet restrained—while ribbed wool peacoats and nylon jackets evoked the cocoon silhouettes of Cristóbal Balenciaga. Other notable details included the gathering at the waist of some beige wool georgette pants and a breakaway collar that wrapped around the neck like a scarf on a denim jacket.
The most interesting looks were the ones that toyed with the tension of the contemporary and the classic: the teal velour track top paired with a belted, tapered skirt, and a black nylon zip-up that appeared to descend into an evening gown. They made for modern, elegant and convincing propositions.
Yoshida had chosen the sea lavender flowers, he said, because of how they retain their vibrance even after they die. “Even when the flower is dried, the color stays strong,” he said. If there was a metaphor to be found, it was about the transient nature of fashion rather than something personal. Yoshida himself isn’t close to drying up, rather he’s still coming into bloom.