Japan Fashion Week: Mintdesigns, Mikio Sakabe and Mercibeaucoup

Following our coverage of Y's Red Label's unofficial Japan Fashion Week show, Mintdesigns kicked off the official schedule with sleek and muted runway looks. Designers Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi's "Death Pop" theme was a funky take on the ultimate demise of extinction—Steggy and T-Rex bones danced on loose A-line dresses in tones of black and white or blue and pink. These morbid patterns created a whimsical juxtaposition with ultra-feminine details such as ruffles and ribbons.

Meanwhile, Mikio Sakabe and his wife Shueh Jen-Fang stuck to the futuristic and sleek silhouette that brought them into the spotlight at their debut show last season. The tan models marched in blonde bobs wearing tailored pencil skirts and matching long jackets with skinny lapels. "It's technically a cruise theme, but I was inspired by a ringing sound. You know, when you've been out in the sun too long and hear a high metallic pitch in your ear," explained Sakabe. This "metallic" reach makes sense in the android-esque styling on his catwalk of silver shoes, shiny cellophane woven into the "Chanel" jackets and holographic tubing on neon leggings.

Eri Utsugi's Mercibeaucoup is a force unto itself. There's no use trying to pick apart the layers to logically picture the collection—Mercibeaucoup is and always will be the quirky, loose, colorful perplexing brand of Japanese cuteness. According to Utsugi, the collection was based on "water," but it was difficult to pinpoint a running theme in the show. That said, the runway featured loads of madras stripes, harem pants, pompoms and ethnic embroidery. Stay tuned for more coverage from Japan Fashion Week.

—Misha Janette