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For Spring/Summer 2023, designers are adding drama to looks with purple, rather than easier, crowd-pleasing hues. The innocence of childhood has also emerged as an inspiration and an escape for our complex times. And for those ready to really get dressed up again, plenty of fresh, relaxed takes on old formal codes await you.
Forging ties
Credit: Dolce & Gabbana
Now that neckties — and indeed, the formal suit — are no longer the mandatory male office accessories they once were, they are making a comeback as playful accoutrements that can be worn simply because you want to.
Credit: Celine
Credit: Kenzo
Our favourite takes on the neckwear were shown at Kenzo’s co-ed collection. Creative director and streetwear icon Nigo was inspired by what is known as the DC Brand Boom of 1980s Japan, where the country’s fashion scene was populated by “pop-driven” labels with a penchant for “cartoonish animal motifs” as well as the now- legendary Japanese designers presenting in Paris (think Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto and of course, Kenzo Takada).
Credit: Kenzo
Melding playful graphics and the rigour of tailoring, Kenzo’s ties served as perfectly positioned finishing touches to printed tableaus featuring an elephant and florals.
