Fetico’s Emi Funayama wants to bring back mystery. “There’s something that’s been bothering me,” she said backstage after her show. “Nowadays with social media, it’s become trendy to try and make yourself look better by revealing everything. I’m more attracted to people who keep their cards close to their chest.”
She called this collection “The Secrets,”and started by researching vintage clothes from the 1980s. Pre-social media! What could be sexier than that? Funayama had been especially inspired by supermodel of the era Veronica Webb, and by the furtive female characters in the 1988 movie Drowning by Numbers. “I wanted to express the charm of a mysterious woman who has a secret,” she said.
Fetico is one of Japan’s most exciting womenswear brands of the moment, and each season Funayama strengthens her position by showing femininity in a way that retains a sense of fantasy while still being down-to-earth. From the swishy polka dot slips and the delicate knitted camisoles to the floral print dresses ruched at the waist, the broderie anglaise cotton skirts with panty-line trims and the hosiery bicycle shorts, every opportunity to flatter the form was snatched. Translucent glittery dresses clung to the body, both baring and obscuring the skin, while ’80s power blazers were given strong shoulders and plunging backs, all appropriately topped off with pearl chokers and sexy secretary specs.
But, again, she never strayed too far from reality. “I usually wear sneakers rather than heels, and though Fetico’s clothes are feminine and I think it’s cool to wear them with heels, when I think about how to make a more realistic look, I want to go with sneakers,” she explained of the footwear. The sneakers in question were done in silver, black, and white, and squared off at the toes. Comfortable, but still sharp.
It should be said more in fashion, but sexy clothes that women actually want to wear—and wear for themselves—are a depressing rarity. In Tokyo at least, Funayama is the one moving the needle.
