Sarah Burton seemed to pay homage to the introduction of slicing-edge Japanese designers — think Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada — to 80s Paris with her spring men’s collection today. Along with a New Romantic vibe, she splashed nearly every piece in the lineup — mostly suits and coats — with dramatic, bold patterning reminiscent of kabuki make-up (now practiced in Japan only by men), but to theatrical extremes.

Those stylized swoops and swishes of color began in mellow, spring-like shades of grass and cabbage on pristine white, but soon detoured through grayscale and on to a warrior palette of red and black. The shoes, which bore the same swirling shapes but in leather, are going to be hard to beat as the men’s collections wear on.