It might have been 9.30am on a Saturday morning, but when the ferocious soundtrack started – and the phenomenal energy - as this season’s Junya Watanabe show took off, we were all wide awake.
An overt punk spirit catapulted this collection into a class of its own. The trapeze shaped constructions, which were strapped across the chest, saw architectural folds add a wingspan of volume to the upper body. Starting off in black opaque, translucent 3D spiked constructions sat atop silver leather motocross pants - even the leggings were studded. At a distance, the tights worn by the models looked ripped. But when they walked closer, one could see that the open work on the knees was actually the most incredible crochet. The collection had a nineties punk-cyber vibe. Some of the constructions worn with denim studded shorts were like techno-jellyfish. The shapes kept coming and coming: spikey, waffled, folded and floating - they jutted out as if trying to not only protect, but to attack.
The eye makeup saw blank eyeliner smudged and accented with blue or silver shine. Ditsy florals, glittery tees and a chain motif print were buckled in by strap-on architectural cloaks. The apron dress was also here - an arch rejection of a female's compliance within her role as the second sex, these punkish princesses wore theirs Victorian, frilly and 3D. Varsity style tees in orange, yellow and purple lent a gothic, Lynchian high school vibe – and were also part band t-shirt. Sequin pants and khaki M62s were equally ‘drop out.’ The M62 then stepped up a gear, and evolved into a space-age silver parka. Python paneled denim, and graffiti sprayed trench coats, with some vamperic scribbles - saying something about ‘kids’, ‘garlic’, and ‘finding them in the dark’ – it was all here. The most maximalist of Watanabe’s collections in a while, angry never looked so concisely constructed.
