Sacai finds harmony in paradox

Knitwear, tartan and stripes were all overlapped and blended in Sacai's Spring/Summer 2019 collection, presented at the Palais de Tokyo on Monday, as Japanese designer Chitose Abe revisited the key ingredients of her brand, continuing with her exploration of hybrid garments, this time with a light touch that brought a certain fluidity to the whole wardrobe.

Each piece in the collection was individual, almost completely unique in its construction, its details and its fusion of materials, and yet everything looked easy to wear, allowing for complete freedom of movement. "I mixed functionality and femininity. Everything started with the concept of paradox. The different elements combined together create asymmetry in clothes which find the right balance when they're worn on the body," the designer explained backstage.

A swathe of white cotton bordered with golden rivets and eyelets channelled a nautical aesthetic, prolonging a cape-like jacket or extending the leg of a pair of shorts to mimic a skirt. Lace was incorporated into a short-sleeve white jumper, while white breastplates were worked into colourful tops and shirts.

Elsewhere, long black ribbons were used to fasten a pleated skirt or were threaded through the eyelets of a red sweater to attach a pale pink organza sleeve at the shoulder. Classic camel trench coats were blended with astonishing ease into a lime-green waterproof cape, a denim jacket and skirt combo, and a tartan-print organza veil.

The focus was on the detail in a manner that was almost baroque at times, with the epaulette and collar of an overcoat forming a frilled collar on a t-shirt, while the cotton frills of a striped shirt cascaded in spirals from the neckline of a top.

Multi-pocketed hunting gilets could be shortened by unzipping the bottom and the same detachable concept was applied to gilet-dresses and skirts. The netting on some of the sportier looks seemed to be made out of mesh but was, in reality, crochet.

The show finished with an explosion of colour, through a series of pieces in different painted fabrics, where the colourful abstract patterns clashed on fine pleated muslin, silk and cotton.

Sacai finds harmony in paradox

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