sacai Spring 2010

Chitose Abe gets better with each season that passes and it’s pretty exciting to see her signature techniques developing before our eyes. Her talent for de/reconstruction only grows more powerful as time goes on and I love how she is pulling it off with currently. The proportions, details and mix of materials are all so gorgeously odd; she’s combining unlikely patterns and fabrics and while the result isn’t subtle, it is not overbearing either; she’s got a lot of finesse for what it is that she does. Another thing I admire about her is how she seems to keep femininity a priority, by way of her precious detailing and fabrics, despite experimenting heavily with structure and silhouette.

Chitose Abe x Monclear Spring 2010

Moncler did well by inviting the amazing designer of Sacai, Chitose Abe, to design a collection for them. How stunning are these silhouettes? If there’s one thing above all that Abe does flawlessly, it is combining beauty and function and these really showcase that. My usual association with Moncler is the world bulky, but these really break the mold and are actually very pretty and incredibly interesting. They are so in line with her aesthetic, despite the challenge of working with outerwear materials. The pieces will be released for sale next year under the label of ‘Moncler S’ and it’s said that they will be available in black, white and olive.

sacai Spring 2010

Instead of the presentation photos this season, I would really rather show some individual pieces because while Chitose Abe’s overall look is great for sacai – it’s the progress that the construction and detailing has made that is the most admirable thing at this moment, for me anyhow. I have bought some pieces in the past and they’ve been very pretty and also very comfortable but didn’t seem like they’d hold up forever, which is ok since her prices are more than fair. However, in the last year she has really upped the ante; she’s said to have moved to a new atelier and these new creations are beautiful both in theory and in their construction. And although I love how she works with brighter colors in spring – and does impressively well – I think the tones she chose for autumn are perfect here and compliment the techniques she utilizes a great deal. I will definitely be picking up something from this season and I look forward to getting a closer look and feel of the newer pieces overall.

sacai Spring 2009

I am pretty delighted with this collection, although most of it is not my cup of tea as far as my personal style goes. It is, however, right up my alley in terms of all that it accomplishes and for it’s uniqueness. An astounding amount of designers have jumped on the colorful bandwagon recently, which is great in some cases… not so much in others. Anyhow, I think more people could take a cue or two from a collection like this. It is fun, it is light in mood, it is bright and lovely – but it is simple, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and there are a glorious amount of details to be enchanted by.

The humble draping and thoughtful cuts are two of the most prominent aspects of the collection, along with the slightly understated but wonderfully complimentary and charming color palette. I really like the play at asymmetry without going entirely serve… it gives an overall soft edge type of feeling. The pieces are beautiful on their own but also are a dream if you’re someone who loves to layer, like I do.

As far as the materials go, that may be one of my favorite parts of this. While they may not be the most luxurious or high end, I can really appreciate the mix of textures and different variations going on; I think it all enhances well the overall theme.