Junya Watanabe Man Menswear SS14

Resort for Junya Watanabe this season manifested itself as anything but poolside loungewear. His kind of holiday entailed a wood cabin and lake, apparent in his SS14 collection’s heavy sportswear influences; of the hiking and fishing kind, that is. The patchwork woven throughout was as playful as the cheery models, cast across shirting here and framing numerous outerwear pockets there. The outerwear itself was almost cartoon-like in its jovial outdoorsy attitude, heightened by cropped pants and schoolboy shorts perfectly paired with sockless oxfords.

Accessories underlined Junya’s vision; backpacks matched to each look while pork pie hats made bolder the odd preppy silhouette. Junya’s vacay extended as far as the tropics, a brief Hawaiian print moment reminding us of the designer’s ongoing Americana love affair. For another designer such robust influences may escalate into chaos, but the magic of Junya Watanabe lies in his ability to execute each vision with utmost clarity.