Kenzo. New Trends SS 2016

Parisian label Kenzo must have been feeling subdued as they presented what appeared to be an unusually sober Spring/Summer 2016 collection in their hometown. Look closer, though, and you’ll see a bizarre vision of Kenzo that looked to faraway galaxies for inspiration.
Now under direction of Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony, the label so widely known for its vibrant colors, eccentric patterns and sweaters proudly emblazoned with that instantly recognizable tiger logo showcased a line with a tight, constricted palette that played heavily with silhouettes and fabrics.
While Kenzo may have made a name for themselves by spewing forth an arsenal of seizure-inducing colors and patterns, this time around the palette was kept under tight control, with a swathe of khaki, white and grey pieces allowing only slivers of neon pink, turquoise and sorbet yellow to appear through the cracks.
Sticking mainly to workwear tropes – jumpsuits, chore coats and the like – Lim and Leon’s take on Kenzo’s psychedelia stripped the color and excessive branding away, adorning their sci-fi utility gear with patchwork patterns, a smattering of logo hits and bulbous textures.
Elsewhere, select denim pieces snuck their way into the lineup, which was presented in an eerie space that looked more like the set of a low budget sci-fi flick than a typical fashion show – which perhaps explains the heavy use of shiny silver nylons and the uncomfortable, almost sickly yellow/brown/gold colorways