Just as an artist would start their artwork, the Issey Miyake Men Autumn/Winter ’18 show was set within a Parisian blank-canvas space. As it began, a burst of the most piercing of reds, in the form of a matching coat and jumper combination, graced the runway like a paintbrush to a portrait. Slouched grey trousers, white shoes and a delicate pair of futuristic sunglasses teamed well with the striking colour. Just behind came a sumptuous metallic yellow blazer united with forest green and navy blue under-layers. The runway was being dramatically painted with fashion. It soon became clear how Issey Miyake Men planned to fabricate the idea of “the richness of the sensations within urban life”, creating a distinctive line of unconventional workwear using the most vibrant palette possible.
Unstructured blazers, cuffed trousers and quilted layering put emphasis on smart-causal comfort, a fitting collection for the city-man of modernity. A capsule of striped pieces came toned down in more comfortable colours of browns and blacks. Most significantly, the striped coat in the collection featured a fabric belt styled with a large prominent knot, echoing the laidback vibe that ISSEY MIYAKE MEN was communicating for the season. Further drawing attention to the waist, sweatshirts came tied over outfits and shirts were knotted together whilst being worn. The improvisation of layered pieces became a huge focal point at the show that popped with colour like an Andy-Warhol.
