The Sacai women’s pre-collection typically joins the men’s runway, where there’s a mirroring between them. While today’s Soul II Soul-infused show leaned more towards the guys, with just a handful of women’s looks in the mix, the parallels across the two collections were obvious—and easy to imagine in everyday scenarios. The pants and extended shorts with XL pouch pockets; military-inspired button/loop plackets; striped knits formed into flounced skirts and jackets; and the leather outerwear all had their counterparts. The scarf-tie hybrids—long, flowing and loosely knotted—worked particularly well for the women.

You didn’t need to be up close with the pieces to see how they exuded a built-in confidence, likely in part because the disruptive design elements did not distract from a balanced silhouette. Some of these also happened to lean more distinctly feminine, such as the tweed jacket and miniskirt ensemble and the final, all-white look, which introduced sheer panels to a relaxed T-shirt and wide-legged trousers.

Women will be stoked to see the Birkenstocks that debuted on the men’s runway also had their place throughout this collection. Here, they underscored the relaxed approach to a wardrobe based around iterating rather than reinventing.

“Of course, it’s not about just being wearable or commercial, it needs to be challenging in a Sacai way,” said Abe after the show. Mission accomplished.