Undercover’s Jun Takahashi is a master at making wonderfully weird runway fashion, but he’s also a dab hand at funnelling that creative energy into clothing women can easily throw on.
This pre-fall collection centred on the brand’s continued exploration of docking, i.e. the practice of splicing two seemingly disparate garments into one. Gray wool coats were given the coppery sleeves of silk bomber jackets complete with ribbed cuffs, while tailored suits and long skirts were vented with long triangles of sheer or satiny fabrics that recalled nightwear, alongside a show of punkish tartan kilts and slouchy hoodies.
Jeans had a strip of lace grafted on the right thigh that appeared like the welt of a stocking, while business-in-the-front blazers were given panels of sheer chiffon at the back. Most successful of these docking experiments were the cropped, wave-quilted jackets that had been given the velvet shawl lapels of a tuxedo blazer. Ingenious. On the feet of each look were either furry back-strapped slippers or stompy leather boots.
The effect of this Frankenstein mix-match of lingerie, evening wear, outerwear and everything in-between was to invite more sensuality and delicacy into a convincingly practical wardrobe of everyday pieces.
Of course, it was all shot through with some signature Takahashi surrealism. Denim and corduroy jacket hems dangled with flaps of what looked like disembodied sweaters, while wool knits had tiny white ruffs peeking out at the neck and sleeves, or were given extra neck holes that opened at the elbows. Weird and wonderful, sure, but effortlessly wearable too.