On France’s hottest day on record, rare were those who weren’t fantasizing about peeling it all off.
Take Ryota Iwai, whose Auralee spring lineup read like a wardrobe loosening up at the speed of a model’s strut. Backstage, the Tokyo-based designer explained through a translator that he’d tapped that end-of-June phase when minds are already on holiday while bodies remain at their desks.
Rather than articulating the idea of going away around a particular destination, the designer explained that it was the three-act narrative — the anticipatory thrill before departure, the gentle unmooring of being away and the souvenirs that fold back into everyday life — that interested him.
First came the unwinding of an office-calibrated wardrobe, which opened with a wool overcoat that felt unseasonable, no matter how lightweight. Testament to Iwai’s dab hand at construction, a suit jacket draped over an arm looked as bulk-free as it did when worn.
As formality fell away, details like brightly colored sandals slipped into the pocket of a large duffel bag or sunglasses hanging off a jacket pocket crept in to signify Iwai’s summer state of mind.
Youth-coded items, such as a fitted striped T-shirt that came paired with medium-wash jeans, tops with contrasting raglan sleeves or swimsuit bottoms came balanced with roomy suits and smart blousons cut from crisp white linen, hinting that summer laissez-faire didn’t mean letting entirely go.
Souvenir-style accessories telegraphed the idea of bringing something back — not just tchotchkes like beaded cufflinks or a horse charm made of knotted cords, but a slightly altered sense of self.
Printed shirts peeked from under lightweight blazers, smart utilitarian trousers had a discrete splattering of paint while bright colors remained present even for smart city-slicker coats. They rounded out a collection that read like a summer fling worth pursuing even after tans have faded.
