IS THIS REAL LIFE OR IS THIS JUST FANTASY? MY NEW “LIFE IN THE 2.5 DIMENSION” COLUMN NOW IN SOEN MAGAZINE!
装苑は１月号からリニュアル！ってことで私の新連載「ミーシャの2.5次元ライフ」がスタート！
When I first opened the pages of SOEN magazine as a fashion student, I was smitten. Aside from all of the subculture rags, it was so hard to find a high-fashion magazine that captured the LOCAL zeitgeist while maintaining a sense of fantasy and wonder. I was studying to be a stylist at the time, and I wanted nothing more than to be a stylist for this magazine. I felt it burning inside me; my first goal to strive for.
That hasn’t happened yet.
But something else has. Something even better. A monthly column. A mutha-effin COLUMN! I am there. My words are there. I get to style myself up to my heart’s desire. And perhaps, even, if I am lucky, some people will see it. This is not a dream come true. This is beyond a dream because I never expected it to happen (and not while still in my 20s…it takes forever to be counted as a pro in Japan).
It’s called “My Life in the 2.5 Dimension”. I am referring to my life in the fashion sense, of course. To be bolder than the reality around us, to stand out.
One thing, while thinking up the column’s theme, I had a very deep conversation with the SOEN team, including my editor Miho Tanaka and the editor in chief Kataoka-sama. I was fearing that it was getting too serious. Like I felt I needed to plea with readers to get their heads in the game and fix things. Fix their attitudes. After all, it seems to be that everyone believes that fashion and the industry is really fucked up now. It’s great! It sucks! It’s uplifting! It’s depressing! It’s innovative! It’s my god I’ve seen that,like,last season! Amirite? It just sucks!
このテーマを決めるにあたって、装苑チームの田中みほさん、
Photos are by Mami Tanabe for SOEN
The English version is online ！英語版はfashionjp.netオンラインにてご覧になれます！
I wore SAPHIR EAST dress
FM Mauvaise hat
Avantgarde x Disney tights
So in the end I decided to just do me. There are not many figures in the fashion world anymore who play with clothing because they don’t need an excuse. I have my ladies I aspire and conspire to, Issy Blow, Daphne Guinness, Dita Von Teese, Rossy de Palma, Michelle Harper etc. I yet I am not a party girl, I just stand out ( I attend 1, 2 fashion events a week, if even!). But I do try to make my own experience rather than expecting someone else to do it for me. And dressing up gets me already half way there. It’s the power of fashion, of making your own fantasy and adventure. This is something that only people who truly have a passion for clothing can understand. There is a power there, so use it!
だったら、他人が何と言っても説教くさくなるだけだし、
On that note, I actually feel a bit bad that I am a foreigner and not Japanese more often than I should. As if I can get away with what I wear because of that (and I have been called “Just an American weirdo” before). But at the end of the year’s run, if I have inspired just a few girls or boys to be a little bit bolder, then my effort is worth it. I hope you guys will enjoy it. It’s even in English on their website.
One more thing, this is the newcomer issue and Mamitan made it in!!!!!! Along with my recommends Tomo Koizumi, Monaka Fujinami and Nice to Meet You/Jajaqucya. Congratulations!!!
いつだったか、見ず知らずの人から“
ちなみに、今回は新人発掘号ということで、
Fantastic work Misha! Great column all round.
Congratulations, I’m so happy for you! Even though you may feel that you can get away with wearing more outlandish outfits because you’re foreign, I feel the opposite.
I live in Sendai which has a lot of foreigners, but not that many who are into dramatic fashion. So the fashion lovers that I mix with and talk to are all Japanese. Then I go home and check Twitter, read the blogs, etc. I feel so much envy that Japanese people can wear the clothes I love easier than I can.
It’s not just a case of body shape but also that they choose when to be eye-catching. Some foreigners, on the other hand, get stared at no matter where they go and what they wear. Most of my fashion icons are Japanese and it’s a little hard to relate to them and picture myself styled like them.
So I really love that you’re on the scene and do what you do. You inspire me when I lack confidence and always remind me to live in the 2.5 zone. Good luck with your column, I can’t wait to pick up an issue!
Thanks so much, your story is quite motivating to me and to be honest I had no idea there were any others out there! Good luck in Sendai, I hear it can actually be quite fun up there! (did you know the countryside sells funkier stuff than the Tokyo stores? So at least you’ve got one up on us there!)