Hello.
I'm Noguchi from CASANOVA&CO.
The year is already coming to an end.
It's been a while since I've written a blog post, but today we received a long-awaited delivery from MOTHER HAND artisan, so please let me introduce it to you.
What arrived this time is the silk mohair series.
It's "that one" that appeared about three years ago in the brand and we introduce every year in our store.
Among them, today I'd like to introduce the cardigan-type BASTOGNE.
MOTHER HAND artisan
BASTOGNE
color _ SILVER FROST
size _ 2,4
This time again, with Mr. Nagai's kind offer, we have prepared it in an original color.
For the past two years, we had prepared original colors in darker tones, so I had decided beforehand that this year we would go with a lighter tone.
However, I felt it would be uninteresting to just make a color I liked, and no concrete image immediately came to mind, so honestly, I even thought that an original color might not be necessary.
But since Mr. Nagai offered, if I was going to do it, I wanted a color that would maximize the luster of the silk and the fluffy nap of the mohair, combining freshness and versatility.
As a result of thorough consideration, I thought...
...it had to be silver!
While trying to put into words the detailed process and thoughts that led to this, I realized that I unconsciously added many elements that were rationalizations, which I dislike because it makes it sound like "I chose this color after so much consideration." However, it is true that the more I imagined and hypothesized, the more solidified the reasons for aiming for silver became.
Therefore, please take the "reasons for aiming for silver" described later as merely post-hoc justifications that emerged during the process.
So, why did I aim for silver?
To put it in one word,
"It just felt like it would look cool" was the starting point of my intuition.
This is, needless to say, not a rationalization, but an immediate intuition.
At that point, I realized it was intuition, but I sensed that if I didn't misinterpret that intuition, something interesting would happen.
This is the finished color.
For over half a year, I've been telling customers, "This year's MOTHER HAND artisan is silver!", so to my eyes, it only looks silver. I hope it looks silver to everyone else's eyes too.
Mohair in a gray color with thin, almost white, silk.
The mohair has a slight bluish tint, so "metallic blue-gray" feels like a closer description.
Up close, the melange effect is strong, but from a distance, the white-shining silk reflects the color of the gray mohair's nap, creating a metallic, silvery expression. This is the intended color.
One of the characteristics of MOTHER HAND artisan's silk mohair series is the napping unique to mohair, but I wanted to kill the "fluffiness" caused by this napping.
To replace the soft atmosphere of "fluffy" and "fuzzy" knitwear with a metallic, solid impression.
Therefore, I wanted to make the mohair and silk as close to the same color as possible to create a solid color, giving it a slightly cool and hard impression.
This is the rationalized explanation for aiming for silver.
The specifications remain unchanged from last year.
Knitting on a home knitting machine and hand-sewing each piece together.
The unique shape of MOTHER HAND artisan's silk mohair sweater, born from their own theory, can only be created using this method.
And in response, the neck, hem, and cuffs are finished using the curling of the knit.
I also considered using cleaner buttons, but since the knit color is light, I instead opted for strongly impressed burnt buffalo horn buttons.
Precisely because we transformed the soft impression of knitwear into a metallic, hard image, I feel it was the right decision to choose buttons with a strong presence.
When worn, it becomes even clearer that the color changes significantly depending on how the light hits it.
The shadows created by the wrinkles in the arms and the drape around the chest allow one to simultaneously feel the softness of the knit and the hard metallic sheen.
I believe it turned out to be a wonderfully balanced color.
The slope of the shoulders and the drape of the chest, which are features of this series.
I've never seen a cardigan with such sharp lines.
This design is only possible because Nagai-san had the beauty of a standing posture in mind, and it's the "hands" of MOTHER HAND artisan that can bring this to life within the "constrained framework" of a sweater.
While not flashy, I believe it possesses a unique presence.
The standing posture from the back is also perfect, but when you spread your arms, the volume of the body width around the chest becomes apparent.
You can see that the body width tapers significantly.
Instead of tightening a straight shape with ribs, each stitch is controlled to create a curved knit, which means a linking machine cannot be used, so it is sewn by hand.
I feel this is a very necessary way of manufacturing to achieve the desired beauty.
I don't think there are many silver knitwear items in the men's market, but I actually think it's a very versatile position.
However, if it turns into synthetic fibers or lame thread, it's absolutely unacceptable.
But I thought that with raw silk and mohair, I could achieve silver, and so this time...
As a result, it's quite easy to style.
Whether it's black or indigo denim, slacks or workwear, anything goes.
As for innerwear, from pastel colors to achromatic, it's absolutely fine even if you choose with your eyes closed.
I think it's a color that perfectly matches the neutral yet strong core character of the MOTHER HAND artisan brand and the Nagai couple, and it also suits our style very well.
Currently, only BASTOGNE has arrived, but the crew-neck type MONS is scheduled to arrive in the same color around Tuesday next week.
Since the crew neck doesn't have buttons, I think it will give a different impression than the cardigan.
Please look forward to the silver MONS.
Only a little bit of this year remains.
MOTHER HAND artisan seems to be our last delivery of the year.
When MONS arrives, I plan to post about it on Instagram and other platforms.
I hope you enjoyed it until the end.