What to wear when the changing spring weather can turn from blustery to balmy, and back, in the space of a few hours? 

Ryota Iwai turned that uncertainty into a positive for his coed collection at Auralee.

“It leads to days where people end up mixing pieces into this offbeat styling that is very charming,” he said backstage through a translator. 

And that plays right into the Tokyo-based designer’s forte of layering without adding unnecessary bulk. 

Case in point, the unexpected combinations he paraded on a hot and sunny Paris afternoon which spanned from a leather coat thrown over barely-there shorts and a bandeau top and slacks slipped over a cut-out bodysuit to relaxed-fit suits paired with flip-flops. 

A throughline of handsome dishevelment was woven in, courtesy of a windswept Tokyo commuter Iwai had once seen, his neat work attire offset by mussed hair and a flower landing on his shoulder. 

That informed the way a cardigan hit the runway misbuttoned, or how a blazer ended up tied around the waist without a care for the resulting wrinkles. 

As simple as the show’s styling appeared, it was deceptive to think you could achieve the same effect by piling on any old staples.

Upon closer inspection, Iwai’s versions were all about sophisticated textures that had a lived-in quality to them.

Other standouts included a suit jacket cut from a tropical cashmere with a crisp, dry hand; a parka cut from long-staple organic cotton with a tone of red that had been washed just so, and paper-thin leathers that remained buttery and draped like silk.

It’s the kind of detail that continues to make Auralee attractive on retail racks, come rain or shine.