Sacai: For A/W 2016 Chitose Abe continued to advance her mash up aesthetic of fusing different garments and fabric combinations together to hybrid effect. A plush padded velvet shirt peaked from under a voluminous bomber creating a double layer, its collar reimagined as a chunky knitted cowl neck and bottom fringed like a scarf. Elsewhere, a duffle coat came with a cut and paste shearling front. Trousers were slim and hovered above the ankle, while some came with bondage-like straps hanging from the back or were fully knitted. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Umit Benan: This season Umit Benan played homage to Japan and his many visits to Tokyo. A solitary low table with a naked tattooed women covered in sushi lay at the begging of the catwalk awaiting its diners. The references came thick and fast: a judo jacket reimagined in shearling, wide leg fighting trousers fastened at the waist with long martial arts belts and crane motifs embroidered on shirts. As always the Benan chose to show his collection on street cast guys, all of whom heighten the 70s Kung Fu movie mood. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Thom Browne: Multiple picture frames hung suspended and covered in dust sheets, a huge chandelier and two chairs at there centre similarly shrouded was the setting for Thom Brown’s A/W 2016 collection. Models slowly paced weaving in and out of the frames, their faces eerily covered by bowler hats. Each outfit presented was a variation on classic masculine attire: dinner jackets, sturdy overcoats, daytime blazers, formal capes. Sometimes these appeared lightly distressed or coarsely mended. Others were trimmed with fur or encrusted with pearls
AMI: Designer Alexandre Mattiussi sent models down a cobalt blue carpet, sporting silhouettes that mixed relaxed outerwear with refined tailoring. A plum satin puffa was teamed with a double breasted pinstripe suit, whilst a zip up track top was worn underneath a classic peacoat. Looks often appeared in monotone combinations: camel on camel, grey against grey, a medley of blues. As always men and women walked in identical outfits adjusted only in there fit. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Acne Studios: Acne creative director Jonny Johansson looked to Swedish folklore and the nine months he spent in military service where he was given a uniform that dated back to the 1940s to wear. A neat boxy double breasted jacket was teamed with functional workwear trousers, elsewhere a tweed-like woven wool coat was draped with an oversized silk neck chief to folkloric effect. Felt slippers were paired with chunky socks conjuring up a feeling of both decadence and utility. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Rick Owens: Last year he gave us the willies, and this season Rick Owens turned his attention to protection and defense with a collection of covetable cover-ups. Staged in the vast concrete basement of the Palais de Tokyo, Owens’ ’Mastodon’ troupe embody the spirit of the extinct relative of the mammoth that inspired the collection’s name. Photography: Antonio Camera
