By Miles Socha
There were piles of gravel and pileups of not-always-summery garments at Sacai’s spring show held in an orangerie at the Jardins du Luxembourg. The dust the models kicked up was echoed in the dry, talcum texture of the fabrics and shades ranging from greige to peony pink.
Chitose Abe eased up on her cross-pollination of garments, most splicing knit panels into crispy Windbreakers, or as the waistband on a shirt in lumberjack plaid. Mexican poncho fabrics and other folkloric patterns fed the collection’s jumbled, global wanderer feel. Abe used the former for toggle coats and slim pants that ended in wads of fringe.
The surfeit of technical outerwear, a big trend this European season, carried over into the tailoring, done in ripstop nylon with a windowpane check.
The designer also paraded eight looks from her women’s pre-spring collection, and these were strong, bearing more of her handwriting. Abe carved handsome, color-flecked tweeds into off-kilter, apronlike skirts and a pert cape that morphed into a hooded raincoat from behind. No dryness here.
