paris - undercover - fall/winter 2008

UNDERCOVER
of all the japanese designers showing in paris during fashion week, undercover designer jun takahashi is perhaps the one besides takahiro miyashita of number (n)ine, that is designing high fashion with a street level sensibility. despite the weird "conehead" look paraded by the models, this was not a sci-fi collection, but one that was totally planted on terra ferma. the japanese are famous for being able to reinterpret western thoughts on clothing into an intellectual exercise that challenges the core beliefs on what clothes are. they are able to deconstruct garments, move parts around, and then reassemble it into a hybrid of japanese purity, and western functionality. this season takahashi took upon re-imagining humble american casual wear. he turned the sweatshirt into capes, jackets and floor grazing dresses. he played with the quilting on puffer jackets and made it the main detail on coats with another american staple, the cargo pocket. even the motorcycle jacket was jazzed up when it was topped by a shrug chubby made of luxurious fur and feathers. sometimes it takes an outsider to look inside our closet and work their magic to maximize the potential of the clothes we've forgotten and make us look at what we already have in new ways. and that is quite an achievement in this time of fast food fashion.



photo: style.com