Tokyo Fashion Week

Design duo Yukiko Ode and Hideaki Yoshihara put their signature spin on modern femininity by incorporating elements from traditional menswear and vintage military pieces into their fall collection. They opened their digital show with a series of all-black looks, including a wide-ribbed jumpsuit with flared pant legs, which created a beautiful silhouette on the body when in movement. They paired the piece with a hip-length tailored vest for a professional look.

Among their neutral tones of solid black, khaki, olive, white and tan, they mixed in two versions of bold checked prints. A tight version of gingham in black and white resembled polka dots from a distance, while a much larger, more open check gave graphic detail to softly draped, ankle-length dresses. Faux shearling made several appearances, as vests, on shoes and as the lining of bags whose open weave mimicked the gingham print.

Inspired by vintage outdoor sporting wear, pops of color came from deep emeralds and a vibrant red, which Ode said is one of her favorite colors. “I’ve loved red since I was a child. I would love to use it every season, but this was the first time in a while that we’ve used it in a collection,” she said.

Echoing the wide ribs that opened the show, another theme was box pleats, which were used to create long dresses and wide-legged trousers with adjustable bands around the thighs. Another creative silhouette was a Nordic sweater with frills at the armholes, a fresh, softer take on the classic ’80s power shoulder.

TOKYO — Takeshi Osumi, one half of the design duo behind the Japanese men’s wear brand Mistergentleman, died late last month at the age of 47. His brand announced the news Wednesday via an Instagram post.
Osumi was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 24 and passed away of sepsis on the same day. The brand plans to present its fall 2021 collection during Tokyo Fashion Week in March, saying that the designer was working on it even from his hospital room. The collection will be dedicated to Osumi’s memory, and a farewell party is being planned for a few days after the collection launches.

Osumi started Mistergentleman in 2012 together with his co-designer Yuichi Yoshii. It has frequently been a highlight of Tokyo Fashion Week, and is currently carried by stores across Japan and elsewhere in Asia, including Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Prior to launching Mistergentleman, Osumi helmed the brand Phenomenon, which also began as a men’s brand. It eventually grew to include a women’s line before filing for bankruptcy in 2013. Earlier in his career his also designed a brand called Swagger.

Osumi was known for his imaginative collections marrying expert tailoring with street style and outdoorsy influences, often incorporating pops of bright color and bold prints. He blurred gender lines, and even though he designed mainly for men, he attracted many female fans of his collections. One of his chief sources of inspiration was music, particularly hip-hop.