Goth Lolitas, Ms. Sander and Louise Dahl-Wolfe
Two interesting bits of news arrived from Tokyo. The first comes from Tiffany Godoy, an American journalist in Tokyo whom I first met several years ago when I was in Japan working on a profile of Karl Lagerfeld. The author of “Style Deficit Disorder: Tokyo Street Fashion,” Godoy knows a lot about the heart and soul—and history—of genres broadly connected with Harajuku. She and the writer Ivan Vartanian have a new book, “Japanese Goth,” due out in May (Universe: $27.50), which looks at the strange aesthetic blend of rococo and heavy metal. I laughed when she said in her email that Goth Lolitas will be drooling over Marc Jacobs’ ruffles at Vuitton.
In fact, after writing about the collections in tomorrow’s paper, I’m curious to see how the French-influenced fashion will connect with consumers. Retailers sounded cautious. As Linda Dresner, who remembers when the look was called “Plaza Athenee dressing,” said, “I think a young girl—if she can afford it—might fall in love with it. They’re used to showing their bodies. If they feel flirty in it, then I think we might be able to convince them.” Another point that came up during my interviews with retailers and editors was how many clothes for fall have long sleeves and high necklines. I like seeing long sleeves for a change. But Ron Frasch, the vice chairman of Saks, raised a doubt about the more covered-up look. “I don’t know if women are going to go that way,” he said.
The other piece of news from Tokyo was the announcement by Uniqlo that Jil Sander will be working with the brand, designing men’s and women’s clothes—the first looks this fall. In a statement, Sander said Uniqlo’s offer surprised her and that she visited its studio in Tokyo several times.
Here’s a little of what she said: “We are living in a small world today. People are in easy contact with each other. There is a new collective feeling of democracy. You can sense it everywhere. It is a wonderful challenge to dress this new world as attractively as possible. I am thinking of clothes that are comfortable for everyone, beautiful and not expensive. I am convinced that there can be luxury in simplicity. One glass of water doesn’t equal another. One may just appease the thirst, the other you may enjoy thoroughly. In Japan, people know about this difference. Details are everything here. The challenge for me is to establish premium quality in a democratically priced brand: Quality for everyone.”
Thanks, E Frantz, for helping to explain Alaia’s position in the fashion world. He has a huge history behind him (and literally in his private archives) but his mind is always focused on today. And, as you point out, he’s not secretive. Far from it. Any journalist can visit him and many do. It’s just that he has different views now about presenting his collections. Thanks, RC, for the list—loved the mentioned of Portland. And to Alex A: I think lots of reporters try to visit showrooms during the collections, but it’s tough to wedge in the time between shows and writing. And, of course, eating…
Finally, I want to share something I received yesterday from the stylist Alex White of W. I’d asked her to tell me what inspired her about the collections. Well, I loved her insight and enthusiasm. Here’s a snippet from her email: “I am going to start off this season with a collections story. Resisting the restyling and sometimes fantasy story to really illustrate what ended up being a lot of great, wearable clothes…I agree about the tailored, modern clothes—I was tempted by the clothes that are fitted and structured, using classic fabrics with a new treatment, like at Prada and Lanvin.” She noted the outdoors element at Prada, Burberry and Comme des Garçons: “I thought of Bruce Weber and spending a wonderful week shooting in the English countryside.” And Dries Van Noten made Alex think of the photographs of Louise Dahl-Wolfe. It’s always interesting what other people see and understand in clothes.replica handbags