the efforts of the participating designers. So, armed with a press pass, a dozen invitations, and a Starbucks cup, I hopped on a train bound for Ginza. Of the designers, I was most excited by Arisara Ato. The collection challenged boundaries with its biker-fashionista interpretation of beauty. Women's necklines were pulled down, exposing beautifully sculpted undergarments and naturally focusing on sex appeal. However, the draped sheer and flowing materials used (lace, silk, and jersey) obscured the body's form while exposing the body itself, and the contrast was beautiful. In another venue, Everlasting Sprout brought the audience on a magical journey through a natural and spiritual fantasy land in its presentation "Color Thief". Models were given chalky, warm-colored makeup, and bud-like hair pieces, and traversed a runway adorned with white laundry on a clothes line. The designs displayed used canvas and knits, draped over the body to obscure its form.
Several of the shows were presented in an exhibition format, allowing patrons to interact with garments not only in the traditional runway-style forum but also as art installments and performance art. In this vein, the Taito Designer's Village presented collections of Mikio Sakabe, Akira Naka, and Yoshikazu Yamagata both on the runway and in performances and galleries throughout the exhibition space. The collections aimed to speak out against the way individual’s value designs, placing emphasis on the experiences one has while wearing them instead of how much they cost. Yamagata's "Written Afterwards" show presented un-wearable "concept" clothes that adorned models presented as biblical figures. It was the first time I had ever laughed out loud in a fashion show, but I believe that my reaction spoke of the success of the idea rather than its failure. I began thinking about Yamagata's garments as functional tools supporting humans throughout history instead of as expensive items of purely aesthetic function.
Overall, I loved the creativity involved with the shows; indeed, Tokyo fashion week took patrons beyond the runway and challenged them to not only react but also interact with garments in ways uncommon to fashion shows. Needless to say, some of the shows were successful in challenging our senses, and some were not. Takayuki Suzuki's exhibition and show used no models, but instead exhibited the clothes on mannequins. We stepped into a room completely white with spotlights on each of the garments. Despite such relative disappointments, the collections were quite impressive, and, I believe, helped push Tokyo just a little closer to becoming a center of world fashion. Based on what I saw this year, I eagerly look forward to what is in store for next season!
Several of the shows were presented in an exhibition format, allowing patrons to interact with garments not only in the traditional runway-style forum but also as art installments and performance art. In this vein, the Taito Designer's Village presented collections of Mikio Sakabe, Akira Naka, and Yoshikazu Yamagata both on the runway and in performances and galleries throughout the exhibition space. The collections aimed to speak out against the way individual’s value designs, placing emphasis on the experiences one has while wearing them instead of how much they cost. Yamagata's "Written Afterwards" show presented un-wearable "concept" clothes that adorned models presented as biblical figures. It was the first time I had ever laughed out loud in a fashion show, but I believe that my reaction spoke of the success of the idea rather than its failure. I began thinking about Yamagata's garments as functional tools supporting humans throughout history instead of as expensive items of purely aesthetic function.
Overall, I loved the creativity involved with the shows; indeed, Tokyo fashion week took patrons beyond the runway and challenged them to not only react but also interact with garments in ways uncommon to fashion shows. Needless to say, some of the shows were successful in challenging our senses, and some were not. Takayuki Suzuki's exhibition and show used no models, but instead exhibited the clothes on mannequins. We stepped into a room completely white with spotlights on each of the garments. Despite such relative disappointments, the collections were quite impressive, and, I believe, helped push Tokyo just a little closer to becoming a center of world fashion. Based on what I saw this year, I eagerly look forward to what is in store for next season!
Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo (JFW) not only failed to disappoint but far exceeded expectations, offering a series of highly imaginative extremes, far beyond what is offered at the more established but staid “real” fashion weeks. From Yuko Koshino's fashion-fairy tale aesthetic to Arisara Ato's modern sex appeal to Everlasting Sprout's classic feminine innocence, the shows of Japanese and foreign designers truly challenged my personal vision of fashion.
From Japan Fashion Week headquarters in Roppongi midtown, I began my trek by making my way to the Press Center, where I was given tickets to every show that I could possibly attend. This being my first fashion week in Japan, I left the office with an open mind, ignoring admonishments from friends regarding JFW and how it compared to "real" fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, and New York. The purpose of JFW is to promote both Japan and Japanese designers on the world fashion scene, and I was looking forward to seeing
From Japan Fashion Week headquarters in Roppongi midtown, I began my trek by making my way to the Press Center, where I was given tickets to every show that I could possibly attend. This being my first fashion week in Japan, I left the office with an open mind, ignoring admonishments from friends regarding JFW and how it compared to "real" fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, and New York. The purpose of JFW is to promote both Japan and Japanese designers on the world fashion scene, and I was looking forward to seeing
