Kenzo Men & Women Fall/Winter 2019 Paris

A burst of psychedelic color and pattern greeted guests on the way into this show, which drew from designer Humberto Leon’s Chinese-Peruvian heritage.

A burst of psychedelic color and pattern greeted guests on the way into the show, which drew from designer Humberto Leon’s Chinese-Peruvian heritage and the culture of the Chinese immigrants who settled in the South American country in the 19th century. The giant hot pink, red and green murals by the shaman artist Pablo Amaringo came from visions he had while taking the hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca.

Leon and Carol Lim looked at the cultural brew of Peru, with its hikers, tourists, natives and ethnic Chinese communities, sending out color-block technical coats and trousers, striped and patterned knits and blanket plaids for belted coats. The darker pieces worked better than the highlighter pink and rose print ones: It will take one bold man to scale the Andes in those colors, although the upside is that he’ll always be easy to spot. Tailored top coats, in burgundy or with lava lamp swirls were among the strongest pieces here.

The women’s collection channeled a similar palette, but there was lots of added texture in the form of fluffy hats, shawls, scarves and bags done in faux fur and rippling with searing bright pink, aqua and saffron. Other highlights included fringed or fuzzy knits, recycled raffia “rice bag” dresses with original graphics and more of those swirly pattern coats.