By now, Chitose Abe’s hybrid constructions are written in stone at Sacai. No matter what direction she goes for a collection, her splicing method is what tethers the look to a distinctive core aesthetic. Having such a strong anchor frees Abe to pursue many different references, which was the route she took for fall.
Operating under the philosophy of “doing what she wants to do, when she wants and how she wants,” as Abe said backstage, she put a sprawl of familiar and borrowed ideas and styles into the lineup: romantic athleticism; techno bourgeois; animalia; collegiate; girly denim; classic Parisian, and an homage to Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel. All those many things considered, the lineup was easy to swallow. The silhouettes, though vigorously detailed, felt less complicated than when Abe goes to town splicing and dicing a single theme.
She wanted to defy conventions, be free to wear to a fancy dinner a “casual” denim apron skirt layered with sweet white floral lace and an incredible white fur puffer jacket that winked at a classic Patagonia. There were styles for many moods and occasions. Nylon parkas and zipped track pants with romantic, Victorian floral embroideries were very different from a yellow and navy houndstooth trench layered with a sporty blue windbreaker. A burgundy and navy knit track jacket with generous white fur trim had a kooky campus vibe, while a jacket and skirt that looked like a Chanel suit, a track suit and a men’s shirt collided had a lady-letting-loose attitude. Another delightfully cockeyed take on the skirt suit legacy of Karl and Coco came in the form of a puffer jacket and aggressively zipped skirt in white tweed with black trim. So Abe wanted to apply her vision to iconic codes belonging to another house? She knew what she wanted to do, when and how she wanted.