Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler….Once upon a not-so-long-ago there were runways which staged fantastical collections for nothing more than to show off some bulging creative muscles and not necessarily meant to be sold off the rack. Sadly, there is very little room left in the world for those who still create costumed fantasy. Ones that we can perhaps agree that keep on going are Iris Van Herpen, Guo Pei of China and more or less the Writtenafterwards globes and cotton toga clouds here in Tokyo. Now we can add another to the list; Jorge Salinas of Lima, Peru.
私の好きな英語の表現、「Like bees to honey」。蜂が甘い蜜にわんさと集まるというように、東京っ子が大好きなMiuMiuの新ショップとそのパーティで大集合した。そう、盛大で美しいパーティが行われ、そこには国内外の業界人や有名人（夏木マリ、梨花、菊池凛乎など）、中には広告を飾っている女優のミアゴスも招待されていたり、しかもラフシモンズとそのボーイフレンドといったスペシャルゲストまで招かれ（なーんて噂を聞いて）、とても盛り上がった。
世界屈指のショッピングストリートに成長しつつある表参道、そしてミュウミュウ青山店から目が離せない。
Tokyoites love miumiu like they love drinking on weekdays. So it was no surprise that a new standalone boutique on Omotesando would make for incredible fanfare. Yes, there was a huge, beautiful party that brought out the ENTIRE industry from here Beijing to Denmark. They even invited over the actresses in their current ads like Mia Goth, and even had special guest Raf Simons and his boyfriend to Tokyo to join in the revelry.Take a look at the recent addition to possibly the world’s most decadently decorated shopping street in Aoyama, Tokyo.
It was killer cold in New York City during fashion week last month. Moving less, staying inside, was my mantra. In fact, I didn’t even make a shopping day or even shopping afternoon or hour… the idea of stepping out between stores and getting the shock of the cold made my system shut down just thinking about it (I keep telling people, “It stings, like piranhas nibbling at your face”). But there was one place I absolutely wanted to get out to: The “Killer Heel” exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. It had been extended until Mar 1 and everyone told me it couldn’t be missed. Exiting the subway, there was at least 10 inches of snow on the ground. I considered wearing an homage to the exhibit, but I pounded that pavement in flat Y3 military boots. By the end of my afternoon, I found myself a little more on my tippy toes, feeling the awe and beauty of the heels there.
Painting by Joji Kojima (not in the exhibit, but it should have been.)
There’s nothing more exciting than being dressed by a designer for their show. It makes you feel like a celebrity for one, and the other is getting the thrill of wearing something that no one has yet before. It’s a power trip, yeah. So that’s why I waited in the apartment for the messenger to deliver my garment bags from the main Calvin Klein Collection SS2015 until the absolute very last minute. I nervously watched my clock. It was too late to call a car now. And finally, I ran out the door to catch the subway, my only hope of even making it to the show on time just as the garment bags reached my threshold. The ambling nature of NYC had already given me an unexpected thrill. At least I wasn’t naked.
I do remember watching a Calvin Klein Collection show at New York Fashion Week, before blogging and Instagram-ers had transcended the rope, and before it became my job to be one or not attend at all. I was either writing for The Japan Times or Kyodo Tsushin at the time, but looking back, I was observing it in a totally different way: what was the overall theme? How can I tie it into the other shows in one article? Do I know the history of the brand enough to keenly observe it in the present?
Now, the only thing that matters much is “where is the punchline?”. A celebrity, a sneak backstage, or a clear dramatic shot taken with my iPhone (#myownphoto). Calvin Klein is one of the top brands on the New York Fashion Week ticket, and it is both above that hullabaloo but also ready to serve it to our hungry maws at the same time. It is, at once, the perfect recipe for a New York fashion show.
It had always been a dream of mine to attend an Alexander McQueen show in person- that dream was dashed quite early on in my career, but even now witnessing a show is a magical experience that can hardly be compared to anything in the realm of dull reality. “It’s just clothes!”. But for those 15 minutes it’s carnal beauty on the runway.
It was my first time to see the collection in person, and I have Sarah Burton herself to thank for that, since it’s a bloodbath even amongst editors to get a seat.
This 2015 spring/summer collection was especially great to see, since there was something familiar here… sakura, samurai and sushi. (ok, the last one is a lie). Japonisme was in the air, in those most modernized way possible….
ファッションが自分自身の世界観をつくるのにとても重要な役割を担うように、メイクアップもまた大切な要素。ミーシャはハードコアなファッションムードのときに Make Up For Everというブランドの黒やオレンジのリップを使っているよ。この”ファッション”コスメティックブランドは世界でトップを争うブランド。なぜなら、数多くのファッション界やエンターテインメント業界のメイクのプロフェッショナルに愛用されているから。
As much as I believe fashion is an utmost important factor in creating your own unique world and persona, there’s a LOT to be said about how makeup helps us get there. And the Make Up For Ever brand- which I use when I am in the mood to be hardcore about my personal style (think black or orange lipstick) is one of the most “fashion” cosmetics brands in the world. I say that because of how it is actually one of the most widely used brands by all makeup professionals in the fashion and entertainment business.
Owned by LVMH now, the founder is actually a makeup artist herself, Dany Sanz, and she’s a Goddess in the makeup community… a game-changer like Comme des Garcons. There is a lot of art involved here in Dany’s style… so I was honored to be a guest at their 30th Anniversary Party held in Paris during fashion week. I also visited the “Hollywood” of Europe, where there were some crazy surprises in store. If you believe fashion is art, then makeup is all that and more. Read on…
I just spent a little less than a week in Milan during fashion week, as an “uchi-age” (after-party) to a video project I did with Italian handbag brand Furla last year. The project was called #candycool and featured a set of four film shorts with girls in Asia, and Tokyo-not to be biased or anything- looked amazing. If you haven’t seen it, please take a look- it is like David Lynch meets Tokyo POP. It was even entered into the International Film Festival for fashion videos. It will make you fall for Tokyo all over again:
What America lacks in fashion tradition, it definitely makes up for with attitude. Calvin Klein embodies the sleek but sporty side of American fashion, and it has never wavered since the dawn of sexy minimalism. In the 2015 Spring/Summer show held downtown Manhattan, there was attitude all the way to Brooklyn.
The Calvin Klein show is a hot ticket at NYFW, and always held on the last day. Seats are elusive so it’s the (non-fat)cream of the crop in attendance. I was honored to be invited, and walked up to the Varick Studios with trepidation and a wall of flash bulbs from the street photographers. The more seasons you attend, the more the photogs get to know you and your style and learn your name. It seriously starts to turn into a paparazzi experience…
タオ、ミーシャ、マリエ @ カルバンクライン2015春夏のコレクションショー @ NYFW Tao Okamoto, me and Marie front-rowing it at Calvin Klein 2015 SS
