The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

bitecatwalk ADEAM E ffortlessly modest seemed to be the theme of Hanako Maeda’s SS21 collection as it gracefully walked across the manicured lawns of the tranquil and immaculate gardens of the Meiji Kinenkan reception hall near the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan. Maeda, who usually spends her time jetting back and forth between New York and Japan, was able to take a serious break from her hectic schedule due to the pandemic and quarantined at her childhood home with her parents in Tokyo. While there, she took in the stillness of the typically swarming city vacant from its usual hustle and bustle. The unusual quiet allowed her to absorb the sounds of nature from its city gardens, which led her to imagine how the 17th-century poet, Matsuo Bashõ, may have felt in such spaces. These thoughts of serenity led to her to create a collection of rather lighthearted, yet still elegant and sophisticated, summer clothing. Everything was simple yet expertly crafted, showcas- ing a range of silhouettes from the boxy and oversized to the fitted and feminine. From biased hemmed, tiered dresses and skirts in cotton and linens, knitted puffed bishop sleeves and split-bell sleeved tops, to wide and tailored flared trousers in a very reserved colour palette of muted cranberry, robin egg blue, white and beige all scuttled across the grass.To me, it seemed like the most refined group of women were getting ready to watch a croquette match. In a nutshell, that may be found proverbially falling from a nearby tree in this case; the collection was a classic representation of Maeda’s core appeal. A line dedicated to offering natural beauty and ease with something exceptionally more refined and dig- nified, i.e., your cotton t-shirt is worn with the most luxurious silk pants and gorgeous high heels for a look of effortlessly blended style. Favourite Looks: As we all know, if there’s a pair of expertly tailored and just brushing-the-ground wide-leg pants anywhere to be found in a collection, I’m all in! Those pale blue beauties from look #15 had my undivided attention. https://www.adeam.com