Tsukasa Mikami titled his fall outing “The Pain of Others” — and attending his show was something of an ordeal. For starters, there were no chairs and everyone had to stand alongside the runway. Then he sent out his 13 looks and the models stood there in a line, turning at times to coincide with shifting spotlights and the beats of the abstract soundtrack. It did not take long to view the entire collection in sufficient detail. Yet Mikami let this display drag on for far too long.
The clothes themselves were fine, but they didn’t offer enough novelty or artistry to warrant such a laborious presentation on a runway. Inspired by Susan Sontag’s book on war photography, “Regarding the Pain of Others,” Mikami worked camouflage into crisp separates, many also emblazoned with kaleidoscopic prints of foliage in white. These pieces included button-down shirts and long pleated skirts with a traditional Japanese vibe for her. For him, there were camo takes on a military shirt, a sweater and slim pants. The clothes were wearable and even cool. A showroom presentation would have been sufficient.