10/23/2006

I’ve had a few things I wanted to mention on this blog, but none of them by themselves are worth one blog post…so here they all are mixed up into one:

Firstly, a response to this comment by Mel:

…Fashion weeks (around the world) mostly display collections by designers of high fashion. Unfortunately the typical Japanese street style does not always come into the high fashion category. This is simply because high fashion is usually unattainable by normal people and sometimes impractical. Madrid fashion week doesn’t always look Spanish, Australian Mecedes fashion week doesn’t look Australian and Paris fashion week isn’t always Parisan. This is because fashion designers get their inspiration from a variety of different things from Marie Antoinette to the post romantic era in history. The designers in Japan don’t necessarily have to base their designs on Japan itself.
…

There’s more but it goes on for a while, so it’s best just to go back and read it all yourself, if you like. Basically, it was in response to how disappointed and uninterested I was in Japan’s Fashion Week, because it didn’t seem very Japanese.

She’s right, of course. That was part of my disappointment. Fashion shows don’t even tend to show clothing that you would see people wearing on the street, let alone the street of a given country. I tend to get annoyed at fashion shows, because they’re a misnomer. They are art shows really. Art made out of fabric, make-up and hair spray.

But I write a blog on Japanese Fashion (occassionally, when I get around to it, heh) and the people who read it (yes, you) are probably reading this because you’ve heard about Harajuku and Shibuya street fashion. Or you love kimono and yukata and the image of geisha. Or, you’re an otaku and into cosplay.

So when I read about the Japan Fashion week, I was excited until I saw the photos. There was nothing terribly Japanese about it, despite the name. It is exactly as Mel said: just high-end fashion/art that takes it’s inspiration from all sorts of places. And that’s not what I wanted to see.

While amusing, this photo that Taro uploaded isn’t the kind of fashion that I like to follow.

This was an outfit from the recent Tokyo Fashion Show. This next photo is Kurara Chibana who was runner up in the Miss Universe pageant this year. Her costume is a little bit kitsch but it is unique and definitely makes you think “JAPAN!”.

So yes, you’re completely right Mel, Fashion Shows are for high-end designers/artists who take their influences from everywhere. Which is what I find disappointing. I’d love to see a fashion show that was all about the various trends – past and present – in Japan. That would be pretty spectacular!

But yes, thanks for commenting, I didn’t take your comment as criticism :) It sounds like you actually saw the Fashion Show yourself, so you would have much more knowledge on the matter. I’ve only seen photos.

Hmm, that rant did actually kinda make up one blog entry. Hooray!