It's no secret that I am a major fan of Japanese culture, whether it be reading (or rather looking at the pictures of) the busy, jam-packed magazines or devouring the delicious food. If I can ever muster up the inevitable grand to get myself there it'll be a miracle, but in the meantime I've been making full use of this country's homage to a faraway place.
Some of my faves from the Y-3 press day. I must admit I wasn't quite sure about these items on the catwalk, but up close is a different story. I'm all for non-traditional summer clothing and the 'rocker' theme supports this perfectly, with a monochromatic colour palette and sporty take on the maxi skirt. Even though I haven't got round to posting my carefully cultivated Spring 2011 trend ideas, cute shirts with sleeveless collars were definitely present and I can't wait to try and find my own version.
It was bad enough having to leave New York. It was even worse knowing that I would be missing the Japan Fashion Now exhibition at the FIT Museum entirely, but little did I know that the Barbican (in London) had something up its sleeve. Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion pretty much does what it says on the tin, it documents the rise of Japanese fashion design and how their point of view differs from that of the West. The figure is often concealed and manipulated, treated as more of a sculpture than just simply something to dress and pieces are featured by greats such as Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe and Issey Miyake, as well as a few others I hadn't previously heard of.
Of course photography was not allowed (it's situations like this that make me glad I don't have a massive DSLR), but me being the devious blogger I am, managed to take a few (correction, many) sneaky snaps to show you what's on offer without totally spoiling the whole experience. There are also lengthy film interviews with Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, which meant that I managed to spend around 3 hours in the gallery taking notes and generally avoiding the dull British weather. I was determined not to miss the exhibition like I did the Martin Margiela retrospective at Somerset House, but luckily it's on until early February next year so I hope some of you will be able to make it there. What are your favourite aspects of Japanese fashion?
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Wow, I'm so glad you snuck your camera in! That last photo especially - the clothes are just amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou are a photo ninja!
ReplyDeleteLove those photos you snuck, they look so cool! I wish I could be in London, jealous of you I love it there... lovely blog, love your background!
ReplyDelete<3 Alison
alisonscampusfashion.blogspot.com
this is awesome, I see why you like it so much :P
ReplyDeleteI want the clothes !! hehe
I'm fascinated by Tokyo as well.
ReplyDeleteLove that tapestry jacket, it's all kinds of incredible
x
this all looks so wonderful :)! I really like that white Y3 dress with the draping on the back, wow!
ReplyDeletegorgeous images!
ReplyDeletethe tapestry jacket is stunning :)
that bento thing sounds so tasty! where's a good place in london to grab some? i like sushi...
ReplyDeletei love all the cuts and shapes here, so unique! xx
loved the Japanese exh...felt that it was put together really nicely, not to busy, strong pieces that left a very inspiring feeling
ReplyDeleteI am MAJORLY MAJORLY excited about seeing the exhibition for myself. From everyone's reviews and your sneaky photos, it looks unmissable!
ReplyDeleteYou know that I am a pretty big fan of Japanese culture too. I love the language not to mention the cutesy and kitsch details of some of their pop culture! Seriously cannot wait to visit there one day!!
Great clothes - I love Japanese minimalism. Oh, not to mention sushi and sake! xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.weshopthereforeweare.co.uk/
wow... i like those photos! :) love this blog
ReplyDeletexx
lmc
Oh my goodness... hopefully I'll make it to London before the exhibition closes - well done on the sneaky photos!
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