Sacai designer Chitose Abe crams more valid ideas into her 12-minute fashion shows than most designers could dream to have all year long. It's a testament to her creative talent, as well as her sharp editing process, that these shows end up as tight and crystal clear as they do. No matter what fabrications she's working with, Abe's vision pops right off the runway thanks to the inventive hybrid silhouettes that have become her signature. This season she made a play for paisley, plaid, lace, military jackets, and sailor stripes - cutting each out like a puzzle and sewing the pieces up again like head-scratching, but eye-dazzling collages. Despite the intricate constructions - such as a chiffon two-piece skirt and top that was cross-bred with all of the key elements of an army green military jacket - Abe's clothes don't look fussy. She made the season's most desirable bomber jacket in army green with architectural arm ruching, a button front and navy blue peplum back. And her reinvention of paisley - in crisp red, white, and blue chiffon and cotton voiles - made a winning case for reintroducing that long overplayed pattern.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
