Technoculture Oligo Press
Review
As a brand, Tamme aims to “renew existing values”. This season, its first show saw designer Tatsuya Tamada attempt to reinterpret the codes that regulate appropriate attire for specific occasions. Tamada’s approach was evident in the double-breasted suit that appeared first on the runway. At a glance, it seemed like standard formal wear. However, the way of wearing a jacket and pants with folded hems, as well as a tie with a snap button at one end, allowing it to make a knot-like loop, was a challenge to the boringness trapped in the definition of formal. There were also other references to its ideas, styles and details: a cummerbund that also functions as a bag; a dress shirt in sweat fabric and a jersey set-up made elegant with stripes on each side of the pants. Everything was redesigned with an imagination unrestrained by the idea of what formal should be. The morning coat was exquisite, with pigment applied to the entirety of the wool fabric and emphasis added to cuts, frays and fading around the stitching. Such designs appeared to be an attempt to shift away from the ordinary by adding elements of grunge style.
On the other hand, the combination of cut pieces, which are Tamme’s forte, remained evident. There was a trench coat with detachable top, waist and bottom elements, allowing it to be worn not only as a coat but as a cropped jacket, using only the top, or as a large skirt, combining the waist and bottom. Also of note was a striped jacket with a belted waist section that could be detached from the top. The model wore the parts separately to create a different look, using the top as a short jacket and the waist as a belt. Within each piece resided a wide variety of styling possibilities.
The intricate structures and elaborate details proved mesmerising, yet as a whole, the show presented a genre-defying mixture of classic styles, such as rock, military, sport and street, that usually abide by different codes. Rather present than the contrast of different styles, they incorporated the essence within each one. The delicate process of carefully mixing them to create harmony was akin to the work of a perfumer. The show proved an occasion to witness clothes being liberated from the concept of codes, acquiring a sense of sophistication and the new rhythm of the everyday.
