Decorative details resembling family crests, tassels, and rosary-esque accessories helped set the nonchalant tone. The brand’s use of vests was another noteworthy proposal, variously incorporating kimono elements at the placket and resembling the aprons once worn by young boys in olden Japan. Indeed, Japanese aesthetics are a signature of SOSHIOTSUKI. When filtered through designer Otsuki’s lens, these Japanese references provide a humorous buffer to Western clothing traditions that make the sophisticated garments feel more approachable.

Draping served as another symbol of nonchalance throughout the collection. For this season’s main fabric, Otsuki enlisted Bishu wool with a distinctive natural drape. Kimono sleeve patterns emphasized the volume of the fabric, along with gussets added to jackets that made it easier to lift the arms. The flowing movement of the fabric added an elegant flourish to the collection, soothing like a rhythmic alpha wave.

This season, Otsuki was inspired by Issei Suda’s photobook, “Fūshi Kaden,” designing a collection that explored the themes of grace and mortality. While working on the collection, Otsuki’s father suffered a stroke, which made the contemplation of life and death all the more personal. However, the collection is devoid of gloom. On the contrary, the designs feel like a celebration of life, as garments for the man who would make the most of his numbered days on this earth with style and a light spring in his step—an ode to his father, or an idealized father figure. Titled “good memory,” the collection is thus imbued with the shared memories and comforting warmth of a father and son who perhaps culturally lacked the words to articulate their affection, yet loved each other nonetheless.