Katsuya Kamo x Junya Watanabe FW09

Though I posted this actual collection before and lauded about Kamo’s work before, but the more time that goes by since this showing, the more admirable it becomes. As is no secret, he is consistently brilliant, everything he touches turns to magic and he always takes whatever theme he’s collaborating with to the next level, but for this collection in particular, I really found his concept so special.

The way that he incorporated classic painting techniques into his makeup work here and subsequently created optical illusions on the models faces is so next level. When you look at the placement of the shading on each model’s face, they are all unique, veritably mophing their blank expressions into an array of emotions. The hair is so intense as well and I love how it mimics the designs themselves, surrounding the entire body save for the face like molten rock.

Undercover Spring 2005

While we all know I am pretty Undercover-obsessed in general, there are 3 collections that sit high above the rest for me. One is the recent SS09, the other is the unforgettable FW06 and the other is this stunner here. “…but beautiful”, the second edition to be exact.

I collect pieces from these 3 collections whenever I have been able to over the years, and while say GuruGuru is much more in line with my usual ‘look’, these But Beautiful pieces are always the most precious, whimsical and fun to wear, compared to the other collections. And never has a name been more apt; the perfect way to describe these pieces really is, “strange… but beautiful”.

As we all know, Takahashi is a master of contradictory design, we’ve seen it so many times from him and it’s always done with such class, even if there’s also a heavy dose of irony or cheekiness involved. However, sometimes he just puts out a really dreamy collection which has all the elements of strange – but also an incomprehensible beauty that will both puzzle and entice us… but mostly the latter. This collection always really stood out for me in that way; it is just gorgeous, despite all of the oddities. The fact that all of the clothes, no matter how unusual – are completely practical and 100% functional. I have found from wearing some pieces. that the deconstruction work is mostly on the surface and does not ‘interfere’ with the garment’s form, from the wearer’s point of view.

The fabrics of this collection are one of it’s strongest attributes; it really feels like revisiting your childhood room, finding forgotten nightgowns, old doll clothes and a bunch of memories… reinvented into something you can wear as an adult. The runway styling is completely amazing as well as Kamo's genius hair. That aside, though, these pieces posses so much unexpected detailing that every single one is a work of art all on it’s own.