japonisme: fashion

continuing with this series of posts on japonisme, this one is about fashion. japan has long provided inspiration for those who design clothing for women, whether it's meant to be worn or purely for the sake of art like galliano's spring 2007 japanese-inspired collection for dior.

the details are what i especially loved about this collection. things like exquisite embroidery worked in lustrous silk threads and sequins, and these blue feathered butterflies perched on thin shoulders.

hand-painted umbrellas, folding fans, and tiered pearl chokers...

time and again, fashion looks to traditional japanese artforms, like origami...

isabel toledo tube jacket via the museum at FIT

marchesa spring 2009 rtw collection

and kirie – the japanese art of paper cutting, which may have been the inspiration for the decoration on this dress from marchesa's spring 2010 collection.

this post wouldn't be complete without mention of the three main fashion houses in japan – yohji yamamoto, issey miyake, and rei kawakubo – the designer behind the 'comme des garcons' label. if you follow the work of these internationally known fashion designers, you may recognize some of these images. their work is sculptural, often confrontational, and shows the use of innovative textiles and construction techniques.

for this hand-pleated silk crepe gown, it seems the current for inspiration was reversed, from west to east, for when asked about the inspiration, yamamoto replied, “maybe mme. grès."

white bride dress with big hoop skirt from yohji yamamoto's spring/summer 2009 collection

"wedding dress”, yohji yamamoto spring/summer 2000

a dress from the staircase series by miyake

issey miyake, spring/summer 2001

i may have champagne taste and a beer budget, but i can dream about one day wearing a creation by the genius that is rei kawakubo. untrained as a fashion designer, she conveys her ideas verbally to her patternmakers.

and now, for a look back in time to the year 1952, a swimsuit designed by carolyn schnurer re-embroidered in the pattern of a japanese paper box.

photographed by louise dahl-wolfe for harper's bazaar january 1952

image credits: TOP: japonaise sous l'orage by kusakabe kimbei via yellowkorner; rei kawakubo images courtesy of los angeles county museum of art