Undercover Fall 2015

There is a strong possibility you have probably never heard of Japanese designer Jun Takahashi or his label, aptly named Undercover. In fact Takahashi and his fashion brand, which has been showing biannually at Paris Fashion Week since 2002, ironically do camouflage into the background when competing against Paris heavyweights such as Chanel, Balenciaga and Dior. Yet, for Undercover’s fall 2015 collection, Takahashi firmly re-emerged as a designer to be taken quite seriously.

Mixing the art work of 18^th century painter Michael Borremans and expert, clean cut tailoring, this collection was powerful in its message and elegant with its minimal style. Models wore clear plastic face masks, forcing their faces into a painful smile – a hint perhaps at the perceived view of the fashion industry and our quest for eternal beauty- while they walked, hands in pockets, down the runway to Johnny Cash’s hit ‘Hurt.’

There was a real emphasis on tailoring and the classic ‘Le smoking’ suit, with clinical white trousers, peplum silk tops and single breasted coats. Silhouettes were slouchy and conservative, with yards of fabric elegantly draped across shoulders and around garments while Takahashi explored the idea of ‘deconstruction’ through his ripped and manipulated coats which looked as though they had been spattered with pieces of broken glass. As is not uncommon with Japanese designers, colours were subdued and limited – beige, ash grey, navy, tan and black were the only uses of colour on display. Yet the romantic work of artist Borreman provided enough bursts of subtle colour and intrigue on jersey dresses and roll neck tops.

Accessories also played a part in this Undercover collection. From the black chain necklaces and large circle stud earrings to the small plexiglass clutch bags, there was a real sense of understated Parisian effortlessness with a satirical twist – Takahashi’s hidden messages of pain and suffering within the world today.