The wind and fresh spring rains blew through the show at Issey Miyake where all the girls wore his new tech fabric: 3-D stretch. A Miyake show is not just a runway showcase but an entire concept that begins with the music and sounds. Ei Wada, created the backdrop of musical mystery with his shifting tonal organ music that set the tone for the show. It was generated by a series of tape recorders that created the backdrop for the stage. A man dressed in white begins the sounds as the white balloons rise and fall; then a corps of pale girls in white outfits enters the scene. They look like an army of human clouds in organza, crisp linens and fetching hats; you are not in typical 'fashionland' anymore. You are now in the hands of a master who has all but re-invented fashion as we know it. The show opened with white and continued with a central theme of color and finished with his signature black. The sheer organzas mixed with the density of cozy knits were punctuated high collars, cartwheel brimmed hats and structured yet loose kabuki forms. What you are seeing are perfectly tailored shorts, slacks and skirts each with a unique detail such as crisp waistbands or sashes and signature high pleats; the mix of structured linens in combination with softly draped knits and that unique 3-D stretch dimensional fabric made the girls seem to float on air.
The fact that each girl could be landing either from a rustic boat onto a sand dune or stepping off a yacht on the a Riviera was easily imagined. The palette of yellow, red, blue and white all hinted at the central nautical theme. The pleats were there in some of ensembles (he invented the chemically created accordion pleat) but the new fabric was light yet dense in construction and created cloud like shapes that whirled across each girl in a graceful and elegant style and you really wanted to reach out and touch it. I can only describe the fabric as architectural yet soft at the same time; it is created with just a blast of steam! Monsieur Miyake has continued to pursue innovations and new technology in fabric; he continues to expand on what garments should mean and what they need to be in the 21st century. With a collection like this, his mastery is evident; he has pleased the devotees but like all real artists he isn't satisfied with just that. He will always take us to new places and show us what we couldn't imagine before he arrived. If you are a student of fashion design, he is an important man to study. Like the Mozart of fashion, his ideas continue to be reinvented and adpated by other less clever musicians. But they will never achieve his mastery. This was evident in the ease by which the collection blended together with clothes that while seeming fantastical were very wearable. The models wear a vision of his ideas, but a visit to his boutiques worldwide will introduce you to the pieces close-up. In fact, a new boutique is set to open in London so if you happen to be there, it's not to be missed.
For more information on the world of ISSEY MIYAKE, you can go to his website and discover more about him and his work
