When it comes to Japanese designer Junya Watanabe’s groundbreaking shows, Spring/Summer 2009 is definitely one that stays in our minds.
Infusing his own very traditional sense of Japanese eclecticism in halos of denim, intersecting prints and diverse cuts, Watanabe put a focus on his idea of African drapery. While a slew of models walked down the runway wearing the typical reinterpreted khaki, denim and white shirting that made Watanabe so famous, another good half of the show consisted of models wearing vibrant prints inspired by African fabrics, mixed and matched with gingham and jeans. The styling was superb — with knots here and there, ties elsewhere and pinched up fabrics hitting at just the right spots and angles. Bodycon neon swaths of cotton covered the entire body and revealed a peek of the colorfully patterned prints flared out just above the ankles.
To top it all off, models wore incredible bouquets of flowers and plants atop their heads, wrapped up in the contrasting prints from the collection.
Once, I was watching a Carmen Miranda video and I was reminded of the Junya Wantanabe s/s 2009 collection. Even though the models wear flowers/grass/whatever that is, I still see a resemblance to Carmen Miranda’s fruit hats — plus the styling, use of color, and prints all relate to the iconic Miranda’s look. For those of you know don’t know, Carmen Miranda is a Portuguese born Brazilian samba singer and actress most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in motion pictures- always clad with a hat topped with tropical fruit- for which she is iconically known for til this day.
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