The sound of strings echoed down the runway for the Dress Camp 2016 Spring/Summer Men's and Women's Collection. On the 15th, a full house at Shibuya Hikarie Hall A gazed upon the graceful world of designer Toshikazu Iwatani.

This season's theme was "SWEET." As if to enhance its sweetness through contrast, the first look featured a jet-black dress adorned with a delicate pale pink flower on the chest.

The looks featured a wide variety of floral motifs. Small floral prints in vivid, vibrant colors and airy, watercolor-like floral patterns further enhanced the shape of the garments. Among the men's looks, pieces featuring large, blooming roses and anemones were particularly memorable.

After a riot of vibrant colors, the second half of the show featured all-black looks. The creation of this collection was supported by Kyoto Montsuki Co., Ltd., a dyeing company founded in Mibu, Kyoto in 1915 that specializes in black dyeing. The dyeing techniques, with their outstanding skills, stood out on the runway, and the color is known as "deep black."

There are times when I feel that fashion adds color to the cityscape. I even feel that the people passing by breathe life into the town through their fashion. Through the Dress Camp show, I felt the vitality, or the will to live, that fashion possesses.