Welcome to the Dollhouse

March 06, 2019

In his Fall 2019 menswear presentation, aptly entitled “Silver Swagger," Junya Watanabe confronted us with a very prevalent issue in the fashion world: the lack of senior male representation the runway. While we eagerly anticipated a continuation of the age parity with the women’s collection, the designer opted to go in another direction—the exact opposite.

This season, Watanabe tapped into the aesthetic spirit of adolescent kawaii, a term denoting the Japanese pop-culture of sugar-sweet cartoon cuteness. On the runway, models graced the catwalk, often two at a time, dawning high pigtails, fake lashes and candy-pink lipstick. But much like a Monet—cool, calm, and collected from afar but a big ol’ mess up close—if you were to scratch the surface of each look, things weren’t qiote as sweet as they appeared.

Text by Kennedy Fairfax

The fake lashes were slightly askew, their lipstick laid on too thick, and their pigtails were more petrified than perky—and in the typical Watanabe fashion, the clothing followed suit. The designer adopted his usual collage aesthetic, joining part of a utilitarian staple garment with another saccharine piece, lending each look a rahter twisted undertone. All throughout the collection, floral prints and university sweatshirts were butchered and masterfully reassembled into grungy patchworks paired with distressed denims and spiked biker boots. Leave it to Watanabe to give innocent anime a darker edge.

View some of our favorite—and the most kawaii—looks, below.

Photos courtesy of the brand.

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For years, she stood still, watching life rush past her, a quiet observer behind the glass. Now, the glass is broken, and she steps out into the unknown. She walks through the city, caught between two worlds—part of it, yet apart from it.

Her journey is quiet but bold, searching for something she’s never understood, something just out of reach. On church steps and under glowing city lights, she questions everything: the rules, the past, and where she truly belongs. Each step feels both freeing and uncertain.

A curious soul in a borrowed life, she keeps moving forward, leaving behind only whispers of her escape, like a fleeting shadow in the night.