Paris Fashion Week: Junya Watanabe takes an overall approach

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The Junya Watanabe Man show was held outdoors and against the backdrop of giant hedges -- and in the middle of Paris to boot -- but thanks to the bib overalls, duck boots and rubber Wellies, it felt for all the world like a slice of the English countryside.

That is until you noticed that the overalls were done in suiting fabric gray with subtle pink pinstripes, bold blue and white checks or plaids -- or solid shades like sky blue or tuxedo black.

There were certainly other things worth harvesting from Junya Watanabe’s garden party -- patchwork denim blazers, contrast patchwork work shirts, and some nearly winter-weight technical outerwear pieces, but for some reason it was the simple act of taking an upscale approach to that onesie of the workingman that seemed to capture everyone’s attention.

Even one of the photographers at the show (and realize that the fashion runway photographers are among the most jaded fashion show attendees you’ll likely encounter) mentioned it as we climbed on the shuttle bus to the next show.

‘You know, if there was ever anything that would get me to wear a pair of overalls, that’d probably be it,’ the photographer said to me.

Which sums it up perfectly.

-- Adam Tschorn, reporting from Paris

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