JUNYA WATANABE

Ok, so when you think that 1996 was literally more than twenty five years ago but that I can still remember this song as clear as when I learned the lyrics way back then, you'd have to admit that time is tricky and it works as it sees fit. Twenty years is a blink sometimes. I remember going to house parties where they were playing this song and how everybody would just jump to it when it started. The lyrics belie the playfulness of the dancers here but they totally nail Jay Key's dance moves and style in the original music video. Jamiroquai was a mood.

Apart from the memories this song brings, I think this was the collection I needed this week. I guess I needed a pick me up and this came right on time. Comme Des Garçons can sometimes appear as impenetrable to the man on the street, but this Junya Watanabe (Rei Kawakubo's protegé) collab with Jay Key of Jamiroquai is totally accessible and almost... playful, kinetic? Also totally wearable. I love the hoodies, so reminiscent of the ones Southern California surfers wear in the cool evenings with nothing but board trunks on and their big toes digging in the warm sand (and a tan that showcased their milky white buns and thighs and their treasure trail). Oh, did I tell you I lived in California for almost a year many moons ago? Long story. Wrong man. One day I'll tell you more about that time of my life.

This collection seems to me like a rare time capsule, some future nostalgia that nevertheless works perfectly well and it's timely and of the time at the same time. And I've realized I want all those long coats they wear and most of the pants and those kicks! I am right now into brightly colored sky high Vans, so this is perf. The collection also pays direct homage to upcycling, to indigenous peoples and their use of fabrics, textures, textiles and colors, and to the notion that everything that was fashion will be fashion again. It's been a minute since the start of the aughts, but their vibe is undeniable in this collection. I also want most of the hats (to go have a cocktail with Pan Demic) and while we're at it, could I have that guy that closes the show? Or is that too much to ask?

XOXO

P.S. here's the original video with Jay working miracles in that soundstage. You can see his influence all over the collection. Yep, at the end of the day, twenty years is nothing.