crescendo

Kenzo SS19
By Liam Hess | Fashion | 26 June 2018
Photography Sara Cimino
Above:

kenzo – HERO SS19

Leave it to Kenzo to close fashion week with a bang. Presented in a grand proscenium arch theatre on the Left Bank, there was a party-like atmosphere as boozy ice lollies were handed out on entry; the dramatic set of huge suspended bouquets of tropical foliage seemed to sparkle as wide laser beams raked across them in the darkened space, up-lit in a purplish glow. As the show kicked off, Chicago band the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble played upbeat funk as they walked the runway and settled at the top of the stage, also providing an interlude between Kenzo’s offerings for men and women.

Even if the theatrics were dazzling, there were clothes to match: eminently wearable, with just the right amount of forward-thinking dazzle to be a real crowd-pleaser. Carol Lim and Humberto Leon have a well-cemented reputation as master colourists. Acid yellow, electric blue, deep teal; clothes that should make for unlikely bedfellows were cycled through with confidence, and integrated into plaid, stripes and polkadots. Particular highlights included coats and suits with panels of contrasting colours sliced up the sides, as well as sheer tees that had trompe l’oeil shirt and tie prints on them that had a so-wrong-it’s-right appeal. At the end of a season that has seen endless hand-wringing over the future of men’s fashion, it was a perfectly judged dose of unadulterated fun.

GALLERYBackstage images from Kenzo SS19

GALLERYCatwalk images from Kenzo SS19





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