Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa: The Elegance of Deconstruction
By Mari Davis
Photos by FW

PARIS, Jul 3, 2005/ FW/ --- Venus Williams’ win at Wimbledon underscored that agility and speed are what makes a champion on the tennis courts today. However, it was the 1920s and 1930s elegance of tennis, golf and cricket that inspired Naoki Takizawa for the Issey Miyake Spring 2006 menswear collection.

Friday night, in the very intimate setting of the Issey Miyake showroom of Paris’ Place des Vosges, Naoki Takizawa brought to life the photographs of Barnett Newman and Clifford Still, putting the ‘painterly quality’ of these snapshots to the cloth.

Deconstructed two-button jackets that are elegant, embellished with piping that look more like they were painted on instead of sewn became an innovation unto itself.

Deconstruction, a fashion genre on its own took on a new leash on life on the experienced hands of Naoki Takizawa. Younger designers can learn a lot from the Japanese design master as he created windbreakers, pageboy pants, and long-sleeved shirts that had raw edges but definitely sophisticated and high fashion.

Concentric cable knit sweaters and cardigans, cargo pants in stonewashed denim, demi-Nehru suit jackets in bold stripes have the spirit of the 1920s and 1930s era, yet very contemporary and modern.

“I wanted to create a playful, elegant and rational menswear suitable for today,” wrote Naoki Takizawa in his very short and sweet press notes.

He more than succeeded in doing it as one of the buyers of Beams, a very high-end store chain in Japan was raving about the collection after the show.

“It’s radical,” the buyer commented. “A definite must see during my showroom visits this week.”

And it was not only the buyers who gave Naoki Takizawa accolade. The smiles on the fashion press and the deafening applause when he took his bow was a sure sign that the Tokyo-born designer had won over the hearts of his audience.

Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa

Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa

Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa

Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa