For the latest Issey Miyake Pre-Fall 2017 collection, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae takes a trip back to the future.

As the brand continuously experiments with the technology of garment creation, this season, the designer incorporates some technologies of a very ancient kind, namely, shibori and Itajime dyeing, traditional Japanese techniques. With the collection’s emphasis on shapes, we are exposed to simple Issey Miyake silhouettes, beautifully draped pieces that have recently come back into vogue.

Alongside stunning minimalist items like the satin-finished wool overcoat with Arita ceramic buttons, there are also architecturally pleated garments created via the house’s signature 3D Steam Stretch technique, this time makes using silk for a lighter weight, and eye-popping gradient stripe dresses done using the house’s Baked Stretch process.

The vivid palette is a nod to the collection’s key reference, natural phenomena such as lightning bolts and rainbows, and that theme was echoed, as well, in this outing’s focus on materials with some iridescence or sheen.

Even utilitarian items, like the clever adaptable jackets that buttoned off to become vests, or buttoned down to transform into parkas, got a little magic from their light-catching poly-blend fabric. It was a subtle touch, very much in keeping with the pared-back tone of the collection as a whole. This season, Issey Miyake seemed less about making daring statements than quiet, memorable ones.