Junya Watanabe Fall 2010 Paris

Highly reminiscent of his Fall 2006 showing, Junya delivers another military-inspired collection, which is packed with one of the things he does best: outerwear. While FW06 was much more aggressive and rougher around the edges, it seems Junya took a much more polished and less amplified approach. The pieces are practical but still embody a ton of interest due to his mind-blowing construction skills and overall detailing. Junya's talent for creating jackets which are simultaneously flattering, appealing and functional is uncanny and it's nice that it's the focal point of this season. In addition to the outerwear, the skirts can't go unmentioned, as the range of shapes and lengths is fantastic. Aside from the furry Ugg boots which are obviously not pictured here, and the Jersey Shore tans, I really enjoy this collection. It's not the most magical or outrageous presentation we've seen from him but there's no denying that the clothing is beautiful and impressive, as always.

Junya Watanabe Spring 2010

A very straightforward collection from Junya this season, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Practicality can still be exciting, especially when someone of his calibre is performing the task. The man can cut a jacket, that’s one thing we know for sure and this collection is filled with great ones in terms of their flawless structure and no doubt their function. I’m not wild about basic leggings, particularly worn as pants, but Junya is one of the only designers who manages to present them in a way that doesn’t turn me off entirely. It goes without saying that the headpieces are brilliant, but I’ll say it anyway and the shoes are divine as well.

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.

Junya Watanabe Fall 2009

Thank heavens for people like Junya for keeping the surprise element in fashion. I can’t say that I dont’ know what to expect from him to a certain degree, because that’s just not true… every show is always so obviously Junya but the materials he works with are just so drastically different from season to season that it is still exciting to look forward to. When he decides to go dark, the result is always pure enchantment. Just for his SS09 show we got crazy prints and deconstructed denim pieces and now only a few months later he’s back to black. Not just black, however… black puffa, which surely has to be one of the hardest materials to manipulate into a work of beauty, but low and behold, that’s exactly what he’s done here.

I think it goes without saying that I love the color palette. The way he has just one solitary white garment midway is just so precious and I adore the gold detailing later on in the show… not so much the chains (which admittedly are tacky) but the gold fabrics he incorporated. Adding these subtle gold tones made a big impact amongst the black. Speaking of the black – it’s certainly prominent but not at all overwhelming as it is broken up so well due to the difference in materials and techniques from piece to piece.

As far as the styling and all goes, it’s very typical Junya… which of course is a great thing. I adore how the exaggerated heads are changing from season to season but how they’re still there. The makeup by Kamo this time around though, is particularly amazing… I am really blown away by it. What they’ve done is used very heavy and very strategic shading – as done in paintings – to virtually transform the shape and depth of the face. The way that they’ve done each girl’s makeup different is so good as well as it appears they’re each getting a light shone on them from a different angle.

To sum it up, I love it. Each season, Junya is only further proving himself as a living legend at this point. Lately, I have basically been living in my fav piece from FW08 and I am looking forward very much to owning some of this collection as well.