There has been a deafening lull in the season thus far and that calls for an all-out bash. Good thing then, because it was Chloe’s 60th Anniversary and they were in the mood for partyin’. This wasn’t a call to arms for all fashionistas though, it was rather an intimate “friends-only” gathering at the French Embassy… which doesn’t mean it was quiet by all means.
Mari Natsuki on stage (later joined by Sara Mary for a performance). Mari had bragging rights as she was wearing vintage Chloe from the period when Karl Lagerfeld was the designer (Chloe actually launched his career, and he was one of the first and most successful pret a porter designers at the time).
Clare Waight Keller is the current designer at Chloe and she was super laid-back and sweet 現デザイナーのClare Waight Kellerさんと。とてもイージーゴイングでキュートだった。
Last time I checked in with Chloe I was in Paris last October celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the top ranked brand. I was chosen as one of 5 world bloggers to represent a letter of the brand name Chloe and I got “e” for embroidery. I know the impression we young’uns have of the brand is that of minimalism, simplicity and cleanliness, but don’t forget that the brand is hugely fond of surrealism, punchlines, and jokes. Check out the archives here, and then case in point, Liv Lo’s dress below of an embroidered violin perhaps inspired by a Man Ray photo (it was designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1983 and Chloe Sevigny wore it recently in NYC here)
This is Gene Krell, and if anyone treats VOGUE like their bible, or should I say VOGUE Japan/GQ as their bible, you will have seen him around lately for his witty columns. He is sharp, a walking wiki on fashion, and in 1 10-minute conversation he brought down some of my favorite fashion idols from their sky-high pedestals and sent them to the earth’s plane (without me telling him who they were!). I admire that greatly, and it was such a pleasure to see him out and about. My next mission is to get him to somehow come see a Japanese fashion show next season…
I wore an outfit made for the runway by MURUA, a heavy mesh vest made of crystals and sheer top with gauze skirt. The shoes are by Iron Fist and they are printed with a girly zombie print that was a perfect contrast. Chloe likes to be a little funny, right?
When I think of brands that come out of Asia, the stereotype goes that there isn’t a lot of creativity or originality. In Bangkok for fashion week though, I was incredibly impressed with the amount of color, fantasy, prints and how the brands build up their own “worlds” through visual merchandising so well.
There were quite a few brands that were completely new to me, and I want to share my favorite ones so you can keep them on your radar– and remember that Thai brands are sooo easy on the wallet!
Curated by Ek Thongprasert is the clothing line of the designer who is mostly well-known for his amazing rubber jewelry. The clothing line for AW 2013 is just brilliant as it’s printed with dark art-deco graphics like its straight out of the movie “METROPOLIS”. I’ve never seen his clothing here in Tokyo, but his jewelry is available!
Speaking of accessories, the only thing that got me OUT of the AB-normal shop at Siam Center and drooling all over the accessories was that I was going to miss lunchtime. The wire and crystal pieces in hugely exaggerated sizes like armor—- and the designer was so awesome and came into the shop incase I or any other buyers or media had any questions. I am a huge fan of buying from brands where I can meet the designer personally. It really puts meaning to the clothes in my closet and it’s why I buy locally for most of my wardrobe.
One of the most incredible shops on the 3rd floor of Siam mall was by Thai brand “Fly Now”. The interior design and visual merchandising was so fantasmic I couldn’t help wondering what the story was behind it all. I ran into one of the designers and she started telling me a story about a girl and biology, evolution, and I was like “wow”…
“Garden” is a younger off-shoot brand and they have an entire storyline with a whole cast of crazy little characters that all fits within the “Fly Now” ecosystem.
I am just KICKING myself for not picking up some dresses and tops from LLLL while I was shopping at Siam. See, I saw the pop-up shop, thought it was all SO cute, but then saw the “london” in the brand name and was like “I`m only buying Thai brands today, not imports.” and then found out it IS a Thai brand. :( These prints…the like the icecream volcano and cotton-candy head man are so much fun and I want to wear fun!
RR is a new bag and accessories brand with some cool POP-surreal motifs. I met the designer at BIFF and she also happened to be an editor at ELLE. The giant hand and “bomb” bag really stood out.
Greyhound is one of the most popular brands from Thailand and it was a part of fashion week with a huge show in an old movie theater. Personally, I am more of a fan of their younger, fresher line called “Playhound” where I picked up some glittery, silvery shoes with bows all up the front and metallic wedge heel♥ When the designer of Greyhound came out I made him stand behind the glass with me and “pretend we’re stuck inside!”. I think they thought I told them to look dead. Oops! Lol.
This also was a store that I went into without knowing anything about it, I just liked how it looked like the inside of a giant melting icecream cone. Everything in the store was dripping with sugar and spice and everything nice. I picked up a skirt that was sickly sweet, with doodles of unicorns and rainbows that will look perfect with a black leather jacket.
So there’s your checklist! See anything you like? I mentioned to someone how Thai designs are just so damn HAPPY. I mean, everything is so cute and bright and peppy and young. I think that if any gothic brands come out they might make a killing there just by being different *hint hint*
Moo Piyamsobatkul, otherwise known as the brain behind Moo Eyewear, may soon become so famous that she’s going to be on a first-name basis with the world. Just call her “Moo”, everyone will know exactly who you’re talking about.
I opened up my “2.5 Dimension” shop at Isetan 2F today in collaboration with SOEN magazine and their Tokyo Design Commit Week, and Moo’s sunglasses are already one of the hottest brands of topic from my lineup. Her line of Baroque Eyes have been called “ingenious” and are snapped up as soon as she has time to make some. She uses dead-stock vintage frames and adds colored porcelain pieces that look like eyebrows for a grand statue or gargoyle. The mix of retro hipster and elegance is so very NOW that she has hit the proverbial fashion jackpot. And it helps that she’s super cute and fun to boot!
Born and raised in Thailand and educated in the UK, she’s a force to be reckoned with as she just graduated with a degree in Jewelry Design from Central St Martins. While in Bangkok a few weeks ago for Fashion Week and BIFF I happened to catch her for afternoon tea the very day after she returned from a long trip in London. I was with my friend Sonja from the award-winning select shop “Alter” in Shanghai, who wanted to buy some more sunglasses for her shop. “We sold out after Fan Bin Bin wore them during Paris Fashion Week. I need 20 more!” At that, Moo pulled out every piece she had, and we turned the fancy cafe into our own personal showroom trying on every single pair (to the chagrin of the server).
I grabbed a black and white pair and a pink pair, but then I fell head over heels for the multicolored pair from her most recent lookbook which I drooled all over her iPad looking at. The photos are a lot less avantgarde than her previous shoots but it’s just SO charming you’ll want every pair (dammit!). I think the lightness could be attributed to the fact that she is now spending more time in sunny Thailand than just the UK. “Family brought me back of course, but I just love the UK. Whenever I get to go to Europe I try to stay as long as possible.”
Although she is from Bangkok, she considers herself an international designer and doesn’t sell locally and her items sell out all over the world. “You can just send me an email and order what you want, though, ” she said (as a million emails now go rushing to her).
She also has a wicked sense of humor. “I could have studied product design there at St Martins,” she said with a laugh, “I mean, there were NO GUYS on our floor otherwise! They were so rare!” This personality lends well to her new career as a fashion celebrity in Bangkok. After our tea we got in her car to go to the Kloset fashion show, in which she was lent clothes to wear. When that was done and the paparazzi were done taking her photo, she hopped back into her chauffered car to change into another outfit. “I gotta wear Versace, they sent it to me for the Versus party tonight.”
Despite the newfound fame, she’s still super down-to-earth and even remembered me. “You were one of the first people to blog about me!” she said. And she’s right! Almost 2 years ago, when CANDY announced they would carry her. I`m a fan for LIFE!
MAISON MARTIN MARGIELAならではのアバンギャルドな時計をG-Shockと限定でプロデュース！本日世界同時発売．．ってことで付けてみました！
The designers who work in the Maison Martin Margiela atelier famously wear long white lab-coats, as if they are scientists and researchers rather than fashion designers. It’s hard not to imagine them burning, melting and observing fabrics all day long (I am WAITING for the day when they announce a dress they grew from stem cells in a petri dish). So then my imagination goes wild thinking about what wild design process they went through to come up with this highly covetable G-shock by Maison Martin Margiela watch.
Although MMM famously collaborated with H&M by reissuing its archives at super low prices last year, this collaboration was put into motion 2 years ago— it’s being released just in time for the G-shock 30th anniversary.
Maison Martin Margielaといえば目に浮かぶのが、全身真っ白の作業用コートに身を包んだブランドで働く従業員。まるで医師か科学者のような出で立ちの彼ら、実際にアトリエでメスやナイフもしくはガスバーナーを使用しているかは定かではないが、彼らが今回日本が誇る高性能ウォッチG-Shockとのコラボレーションを果たすと聞いたときには思わずそんな姿が見えてしまった。
On sale today! Looks pretty on my arm— they even added an extra hole for my small wrist! 本日発売！ってことで手に入れちゃいました。女性用に穴を多くあけてもらった！
The theme here is “3”
30 years of G-shock 3000 collaboration watches made 300 stores worldwide 300 $¥ price in every market ($300 in US or ¥30,000, etc) 3/30 March sale date!
テーマは３０周年にちなんで”３”
３０周年
世界３０００個限定生産
世界３００店舗にて販売
値段は日本円で３０,０００円(ユーロで€３００、ドルだと＄３００という徹底ぶり)
発売日は３／３０
The reflective silver leather band is removable and comes stamped with the MMM logo on the underside along with a serial number. It’s the perfect blend of high-design accessory and useful product. And it’s Margiela! Can I repeat? M-A-R-G-I-E-L-A
It’s only available at a few stores in Japan so double check here if you are planning on getting one: 3/30~ MMM flagship on Omotesando (ph: 03-5725-2414) 4/12~ 5 Ron Herman Stores, United Arrows Harajuku Mens Store, Restir, 5 Barneys New York Stores
It was a dark and rainy night in Paris…. isn’t it always! But all was to be for the better, and a little bit of rain is no match for a storm of editors, fans and friends from seeing the Limi Feu 2013 SS collection during Paris Fashion Week in October. It was my first visit to the collections during fashion week, and Limi Yamamoto was one designer I NEEDED to see. This season she eschewed the fashion show format for the first time since getting on the Paris FW schedule and instead opted for an intimate exhibition/presentation setting.
She and her diligent PR staff were all apologetic about it-and many fashion people are split as to which is a better way to present fashion collections (editors tend to favor intimate presentations while the media/consumers go for the OOMPH associated with a show) …but I think having an intimate setting in which for Limi to show her newest designs was in a way a step up from a show…next level, even. If an editor drops by an exhibit to actually sweep through an entire collection then I see it is highly likely they will remember the designs (it’s about touching; just like how you are more likely to purchase an item if you try an item on versus not).
The exhibit was held in a beautiful, large room with all of the pieces in view. People munched on desserts and sipped champagne while watching a few models mill about in outfits chosen by editors or buyers to try. I was able to try on a few pieces myself and walk the room….wobbling around in the too-large shoes. I am traditionally a heels-only girl but lately even the LF “boyish” flats and platforms are starting to look attractive.
Limi looked nervous as she answered interview questions, which is totally normal…if a designer ISN’T nervous then I will have doubts that they designed a single piece themselves. She’s very lucky because even though her father is Yohji Yamamoto and she often struggled to remove herself from that shadow while still having a natural inclination to his similar aesthetic, the media and press do look at her collections as a separate brand and been warmly receptive since the beginning.
This collection is finally hitting store racks and I`m sure most of them are going to be in stock (if not all already) right now, so check them out! For all you bad-ass, cool chicks out there.
Also, I hear that tyesterday was Limi’s birthday! What a coincidence! A happy birthday to you Limi, and good luck on your next collection (showing in two weeks!!)
Unless you are a die-hard fan of Martin Margiela, you probably wouldn’t know that he actually designed a hotel and restaurant in Paris. I wanted to check it out, so when I was in Paris I ventured over to Champs des Elysees and a small sidestreet where the hotel, appropriately called “The Maison des Champs Elysees” stands. It’s got 57 rooms so a bit big for a boutique hotel, and the rooms are extremely minimal…..and white. What a surprise! It’s Martin Margiela, after all! I was perfectly happy with The Mandarin Oriental hotel so didn’t book or go into the rooms. But they did have a restaurant and bar, called “Le Table 8” and that I could wander into freely as a curious consumer…
日本でも今だに熱烈なファンが多く、先のコラボシリーズでも大いにメディアを賑わせたマルタン・マルジェラ。しかしそのマルジェラがデザインしたホテルとレストランがパリにあることを知っている人はどれほどいるだろうか。事実、今回のパリ滞在中に見学させて頂いた私も今回このことを聞いて驚いたものだ。そのホテルというのは、シャンゼリゼ通りからすこし離れた小道を進むと突如姿を現すThe Maison des Champs Elyseesと名付けられたもの。客室数５７の、パリでは比較的大きなブティックホテルだ。そして肝心のそのデザインはというと、もちろん一環したミニマルスタイルで、どこまでいっても真っ白だったのが印象的だった。そして同じくこの建物内に作られたレストラン＆バーLe Table 8にもお邪魔させて頂いた。
(As an aside, talking about Martin Margiela I am reminded of a teacher at Bunka Fashion College when I was there who was the BIGGEST MM fan. I saw his interview in a bilingual magazine as a part of a column called “Fashion Victim”. So anyways, he was obsessed with MM and had a huge collection…it was all he would wear. He had them meticulously stored in his tiny apartment under a canvas cloth..white, of course. On campus no one knew his real name, everyone referred to him as “Margiela-sensei”. I have no idea if he still works there or if he still buys MMM clothes since he’s not at the brand anymore. Anyway, this has nothing to do with anything so I digress…)
I went at about 3 or 4pm so the restaurant was pretty much empty save for a man and woman having a business meeting and two nouveau riche ladies having a big late lunch. It was pleasant and quiet. The chairs were all of random and varying sizes and styles and all covered in sheets like the place was getting ready to be painted. The table closest to the entrance was huge, like something The Mad Hatter would sit in in “Alice in Wonderland”. Then the tables and chairs in the center all appeared to be “floating” off the floor- very supernatural. Naked body forms line the hallway and the corridor that leads to the rooms was walled in curtains.
I wasn’t hungry so I settled on a cafe latte with soy…but they were out of soy so normal milk had to do. It wasn’t too expensive, maybe 5 or 6 euros and was quite substantial and frothy in a milkshake glass. It was a quick in and out and snap of the camera. Next time I would surely like to try a meal here because I am a vain fashion sheep like that. But not a victim. Yet. Baah!
Simone Rocha is a hot name from London that has such a nice ring to it, it seems like a brand name that has been tossed around for ages. But instead, Simone is a young 26 year old who JUST finished her MA at Central St Martins and is already well aquainted with the likes of Grace Coddington and all of the biggest fashion publications. She has only produced a few seasons worth of clothes, but EVERY review has been nothing short of glowing.
“Wonderful”, “perfect”, “lovely”, “excellent” are some of the words you see thrown in…. I mean, it’s almost disgusting how well her collection is being perceived by the fashion critics! Can one designer really do so well so young? How much is she paying them??
Well, the truth might suck even more….because at 26 years old her collections are GOOD and they keep getting better. I was introduced to her brand through these photos:
She mixes a lot of inorganic textiles like PVC with organic ones like wool and presents them in a mash of girlie girl meets tomboy smoothie. She really broke out with her perspex shoes and neon lace pieces from her past collection.
Case in point on her success, her first stockist in London was Dover Street Market. She is also available in Colette, 10 Corso Como, Opening Ceremony IT in Hong Kong and now Dover Street Market in Ginza. She was here on a short trip and lucky me having good friends in Dover places, got to sit down for an interview and see her pieces there.
この評判が支えとなり、彼女の作品を置くショップにはDover Street Marketを皮切りに、Colette、10 Corso Como、Opening Ceremony、香港のIT、そして銀座のDover Street Marketなど錚々たるラインナップが名を連ねる。今回日本に来日した際、ラッキーなことに彼女から直接話を聞くことが出来たのでここでお伝えしたいと思います！
Mrs. Rocha (left) , me, Simone Rocha (right)
Q.What’s it like to be a young designer in London?
A.It’s great to be a young designer in London! I moved from Ireland to get my masters there and the education is so good. You’re allowed to be super creative but at the same time you get to be put on the same pedestal as the established designers. I even got to show in the same tent as my dad (veteran designer John Rocha). We also have all of these programs that support young talent, like Newgen which I won.
Q.You use a lot of plastic, but do you consider yourself a futurist?
A. I don’t think it is futurism at all, I actually am more attracted to classic pieces since they are what excite me. Take the pea coat for example; I love to take these masculine pieces and make them feminine somehow. My aesthetic is clean, and not necessarily part of futurism.
A. 私の中では、全くフューチャー派だという意識は無いわね。むしろクラシカルなものに惹かれるの。たとえばこのピーコートも、マスキュリンな中にフェミニンな要素があったりとか、すごくクリーンな世界観に惹かれるから、それがフューチャリズムだという意識は持ってない
SS 2013
Q.How do you handle putting on shows and also designing a clothing line along with bags and shoes, too?
A. I have a very tight team. I am lucky because I can design and then show it to my one design assistant and then I also have a textile assistant. I work with a couple ateliers in italy who make my products, and of course my mother in Ireland who has decades more experience than me in the industry.
I am very meticulous about my shows, since I design the shoes and bags myself too. I always have a story to tell. In this way ,I tend to work with the same team since my MA show, including my stylist and hair and makeup people. They understand me and my “girl”.
Q. Speaking of your muse, does your girl actually exist?
A. Se’s an amalgam of many different people. She’s a little bit me, a little bit my mother, maybe a little bit of my friend Claire or perhaps a cool girl I see on the street…. in te end, it’s about taking a sweetness and cutting it with something stronger.
A. 実在するいろんな人達をかけあわせたような存在ね。その中にはもちろん私も入ってる。私の母、友人のクレア、あとはストリートで見かけたクールな女の子とか。その子達のスイートな要素を抽出して、少し強い印象を与えたようなイメージね。
SS 2013
Q.And what was the reference point for your latest collection?
A. I looked at a group of kids called the pony kids in ireland, and the photographs that documented them by Perry Ogden.
Q. How do you feel about your selection available here in DSM ginza, and do you have any collaborations or new projects planned?
A. I am so happy with DSM Ginza’s “buy” of my collection because there’s enough wearable pieces to choose from, but also a few experimental, more challenging pieces too. I really couldn’t be happier as a designer! And as for projects, well I have some collaborations in the works but I can’t say anything yet!
Q. 最新のコレクションについてはどんなイメージを持っていますか？
A. 今回は、アイルランドにいるポニーキッズっていう集団に目を付けたの。この子達のドキュメンタリーを撮ってるPerry Odgenの写真をインスピレーションにしたわ。
Q. 今回銀座のDover Street Marketでの取扱いについてはどのような印象をお持ちですか？あとは、今後計画中のプロジェクトやコラボレーションなどはありますか？
A. ここのDover Street Marketが私の作品を気に入ってくれたのは本当に嬉しい！もちろんウェアラブルな作品が多いけど、その中でも実験的な洋服を置いてくれてる。デザイナー冥利に尽きるわね。あとは、今後のプロジェクトについては、今のところいくつか計画中だけど、まだ私の口からは言えないの。楽しみにしててね！
SS 2013
Simone Rocha 2012 AW now @ Dover Street Market Ginza
Mrs. Rocha (left) , me, Simone Rocha (right)
