Stepping in the right fashion-forward directions
Opening ceremony for Kenzo Kenzo is one of Japan's most long-standing fashion houses, so it is understandable that it has undergone quite a few changes in its 41-year history — especially since Kenzo Takada himself retired in 1999. This year it is embracing another change, and ...
Fashion Week action happening on more than just runways
Tokyo's MBFW festivities It's mid-Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tokyo (MBFW Tokyo) and there's still an array of snazzy events to carry you through to the end while keeping you fashionable. So roll up your best, pressed sleeves and read on. The first event you should hit ...
The strength of Tokyo's minimalists, Knit for Japan and rediscovering Beams
MISHA JANETTE and PAUL McINNES 'Irving Penn and Issey Miyake' For 13 years, celebrated fashion photographer Irving Penn took inspiring images of every Issey Miyake collection, without the designer himself ever stepping foot into the studio to guide him. The late Penn was one of America's first ...
The evolution of menswear, Matobu, denim, Harajuku style and TGC
Going from red to blue If "Harajuku style" means gaggles of gothic-lolitas and 1970s-style punks to you, then it's time to catch up. It's now the era of ao-moji, literally "blue-letter." Ao-moji is a riff on aka-moji or "red-letter" publications, Japanese fashion magazines such as CanCam ...
Going gaga for Tominaga, mori girls, eco-fashion, Final Home and the Lady herself
Going Gaga for design In the last few weeks, Lady Gaga used her celebrity influence to bring the world's attention back to Japan and its March 11 disaster recovery efforts with her promotion of the MTV Video Music Aid concert. There's no doubt her involvement in ...
A season for accolades, milestones and new frontiers
Florence and Kyoto unite to celebrate Gucci's 90 years Revered luxury brand Gucci is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year with a special traveling exhibition in Japan that highlights its prowess in craftsmanship. Starting at the famed Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple in Kyoto, "Gucci: 90 years" ...
The girls, the heart, the virility and the ingenuity of fashion
Let's hear it for the girls: Fashion, music and celebrities The Girls Award, a twice-yearly event not unlike the already massively popular Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC), proves that the trend of daylong fashion festivals is picking up speed. With its first event a year ago, The ...
A toast to Marc Jacobs, Pierre Cardin, Issey Miyake, Diesel
Jacobs Tokyo flagship: great styling, inside and out The opening of the new Marc Jacobs' Tokyo flagship may have been on hold for several years, but it's finally come through with enough buzz to put a bee to shame. With the new location in Minami-Aoyama, the ...
New inroads for Louboutin, Rag & Bone, Nike-Undercover, K-Swiss
Louboutin digs his signature heels into flagship Ginza space Christian Louboutin, arguably the most famous shoe designer in the world, was in Tokyo early this month to christen the opening of his very first free-standing boutique in Tokyo and Japan. The space is a three-story ...
Fashion week for the public It's that time again, when fashion makers and breakers take all that creativity they have pent up for the past six months and let it loose in the form of Japan Fashion Week (JFW). From Oct. 18 through 22, runway ...
Fashion that blooms, rocks, roars and parties
Blooming T-shirts! Photographer Mika Ninagawa is full of flower power: Her signature acid-colored shots of buds bursting into bloom have made her one of the most well-known and popular photographers in the industry today. She has had at least 47 photo-collection books published since 1998; ...
Hello to Helmut Lang's new tastemaker, jevous enprie!, Lady Gaga's cobbler and hobo style
Naoki Takizawa: A new knight to represent Helmut Lang Helmut Lang is making the news, thanks to the appointment of Naoki Takizawa as head of menswear design, starting with the new fall collection. Takizawa started at Issey Miyake in 1982, working his way up to ...
