Emi Funayama’s hair is getting long. “The longest it’s ever been! I’ll probably cut it soon,” she said.
The long, grown-out bob gives the Fetico designer a softer edge, which suited this softer collection. Taking place in the misty-lit hall of the Yodobashi Church, it was a gentler, loosened-up expression of Fetico’s signature sexiness, with a heavy (though not heavy-feeling) focus on translucent fabrics that fell in gentle, fluid contours over the body.
A longtime fan of Sarah Moon, Funayama felt a resonance between the photographer’s work and the romantic, hazy atmosphere she was imagining. She chose fabrics with “supple drape that felt soft to the touch.” She aimed for what she called “a beautiful interplay between transparency and shadow,” adding, “I found myself drawn to these elements and wondered about the nature of this somewhat ambiguous, nuanced world they evoked.”
There was more commitment to tailoring, with voluminous, nip-waisted suits that Funayama said she intends to make brand staples. They were styled with pointy-collared, statement-cuffed shirts, alongside asymmetric camisole dresses and cutout petal detailing that flashed slivers of bare skin, all complemented by a lick of leather and lashings of lace in the statement looks that closed this cinematic collection.
“There’s something intriguing about not seeing things clearly because it invites the viewer to use their imagination,” said Funayama. The designer, skilled as she is at sartorial seduction, knows a fleeting glimpse or a vague suggestion is often more captivating than the real thing. Here, it felt effortless.
