Waiting for the Sacai show to start today, you got the distinct sense that it had graduated from an insider cult favorite to a global super brand, with a front row full of on-the-rise celebrities in Chitose Abe’s avant garde designs. The longtime Sacai admirer in me felt a unique blend of territoriality and pride.
Backstage Abe was reflecting on her 25 years in business. Reaching a milestone like that might put some in a valedictory mood—somebody’s always celebrating an anniversary somewhere—but Abe seemed more ambitious than ever, and I’m not talking about that influencer-heavy front row. “I wanted to create the familiar archetype into something completely new by going back to Sacai’s origin,” she said through her interpreter.
While her collection was rooted in the classic wardrobe elements it often features—peacoats, marinière sweaters, trenches, army surplus jackets—the pieces had a particularly French flavor, with flourishes that were lifted from couture. Abe said she’d “finally” opened a Paris office for Sacai, ”so maybe that’s reflected [in the clothes].”
A seat-mate said the gold SA embroidered monogram on a coat pocket reminded him of YSL. For me, it was the silky white shirt collars that gave the show its Parisian spirit. There were other elevating details too, like the bustles embellishing a pair of boxy striped tees, the sheer panels inset into the shoulders and backs of chunky speckle knit sweaters, and the deep pile of multicolor fringe used for miniskirts and a chubby coat that evoked fur as well as or better than the faux stuff.
The collection’s high point came at the end, with a trio of evening looks that put Abe’s pattern and cutting gifts on vivid display. Deconstructions of le smoking, they looked black tie-appropriate but utterly unconventional, in true Sacai fashion.
