Mikio Sakabe’s Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection

Premiering at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tokyo, the new collection from Japanese born and European-trained fashion designer Mikio Sakabe is dripping with feminine play, candy-coated references to Catholicism (in the vein of artist Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt), harajuku kitties, and also, is just literally wet.

There’s a lot of visible skin from the soaked models, who are wearing a line made up of mostly boxer shorts and see-through-fabrics. But don’t let the shortcomings in material length fool you; each of Sakabe’s numbers carry an explosively vibrant and lighthearted avant-garde quality that strategically plays off earlier pieces. The whimsy of the gold-tinted sheer tied cape over pink boxer shorts is referenced again in its centerpiece: a pink, sheer, ruffled suit with a kitten and crucifix print and baby doll collar over boxer shorts…May I remind you again that we’re talking menswear? The totality of the collection, albeit not as ready-to-wear as some men might be comfortable with, offers an extremely playful, and very J.W. Anderson meets Carven meets Comme Des Garcons, aesthetic.

Photos by Fashion Snap