Black, Red and Color in Japan

I have a confession. As much as I love color,  and especially considering I’m also an artist, so I’m supposed to love color, 95% of my closet is black. When I moved to Japan, I assumed I would fit in as much as I possibly could considering I’m not Japanese  because of a shared affinity for black. Much to my chagrin, little did I know, that while Mr. Watanabe’s (as in Junya, not Ken) black may represent in the West, in today’s Japan, color rules. Aside from the kimono and anime-inspired harajuku girl ensembles, if you google Japanese Fashion 2011 (and I did, unfortunately only after I moved), you’ll see not only color, but a rising trend in print mixology and colorful layering.

Issey Miyake Spring Summer 2011

In Japan, while black has not been completely abandoned the color is perceived as serious, proper and work-related. I call it the Juon-effect which references the Japanese  film “Juon” on which the American scary flick “The Ring” was based – in a nutshell, dark,  ghostly, mourning kind of use of black as opposed to the more German cool avant-garde approach. Currently designers like Issey Miyake have discovered new ways to honor black while injecting other colors into their design palette through an exploration of textures and prints.

Junya-Watanabe

In a recent collection, Junya Watanabe managed a departure from his usual shades of black and gray with splashes of blood-red and other jewel tones. Unfortunately as is common in Japan, the adherence to sameness and uniformity could not be resisted -  the looks in his fashion show were presented with the models’ heads shrouded in identity-hiding fitted white tulle masks.

The kookiness of karaoke is making its way into the mainstream with the help of designers like Tsumori Chisato and Hidenori Kumakiri.  Tsumori Chisato’s S/S 2011 has a touch of Sonia Rykiel. Her collection showcased bursts of playful colors on  silk 40′s style short sets and long flapper-style sweater dresses. The colored-on prints are almost child-like without being cartoony. Many pieces are wearable and simple in line and fitting. As much as I love the architectural edge of Comme de Garcons, Chisato’s clothing thankfully don’t need “how-to-assemble” manuals or the assistance of two fitters. Kumakiri designs clothes that are as color-packed as Chisato’s collection, but throws in a much-needed twist of muted urbanity. His separates are layer-friendly, funky and perhaps a bit young, yet so versatile one could style them up or down.

Tsumori Chisato Spring/Summer 2011

Hidenouri Kumakri

My favorite Japanese designers, are hose who embrace color without hesitation yet offer pieces that are luxe, spirited (not haunting), well-constructed and feminine.  Junya Tashiro pumped out easy smock-frocks with modest color blocking and a touch of kawai.  Undercover brings color to leather and suede and makes sleek and mod-referenced outerwear. Mint Design and G.V.C.V. fully grasp the allure of mixing patterns and fabrics in a way that feels individual and jacked into cultural aesthetics beyond their own.

Mint Design

a colorful G.V.G.V Spring 2011 Collection

undercover

While Beautiful People produces pale, soft and clean pieces that remind me of what could be a Michael Kors/Paul Smith brain child, I heart Keita Maruyama most of all.  The Tokyo-born designer produces collections that are subdued and simple with beautiful obscure prints and classical silhouettes. His work expresses a fondness for glamour and a respect for the feminine form. In his Autumn/Winter 2010 he mixed his hues with neutrals (mostly camels and grays) and when he incorporated black, it often suggested femme fatal. Not a ghost, “Career Woman” (キャリアウーマン) or monotony in sight.

Keita Maruyama

 

 

 

The Look of Auspicious Art

One of the laws of feng shui, the Chinese art of placement reminds us that our experiences are often influenced by what surrounds us. Literally and symbolically. These ancient interior decor masters suggest adopting a more intuitive eye about what we place before us. Looking to pad your Marc Jacobs wallet, place bowls of lemons and oranges on your kitchen counter (they are symbolic of tree energy and fruits of labor).Or place a flash mirror behind your stove top to double your burners and your money luck. The masters also knew that art (paintings, sculpture, photos) can play a key role in energizing your space and inviting abundance, love, success and even glamour into your life. It’s no wonder that traditional Chinese art is rich with auspicious colors and magical animals -  but art is subjective and not everyone has a fondness for opulent golds, reds, bold tigers and dragons.

feng shui bagua-map

An alternative art source, contemporary art, while more easily available and relatable, comes with its own set of challenges. It breaks rules, establishes new ones and asks the viewer to perceive and value images based on new criteria. Contemporary art is also on occasion pretentious, indulgent, simple (as in “duh” or “that’s it?”) and at times displeasing. Yes, beauty and art is in the eye of the beholder, but some pieces of art are best beheld in a gallery not your home – imagine John Currin’s portraits staring back as you drink your morning coffee or your entertain guests. So what’s a stylish feng shui apprentice to do? Aside from hanging torn editorial spreads from your latest Harper’s Bazaar (not a terrible idea but a bit more university-chic than fantastic), or investing in expensive albeit worthwhile Francesco Clemente painting or Avedon limited edition print?

vintage Vogue cover to bring luck

Fortunately fashion art and even news editorials have become more artful without being cheesy or overflowing with gloom and grit. Magazine aficionados will gush at 55Max’s rarity-based yet still modestly priced box-framed vintage Vogue magazines. At Conde Nast’s online shop, one can buy editorial shots, portraits and vintage magazine covers of most of their publications. This David McCabe’s photograph appeared in the November 1966 Mademoiselle. For $149.00, the small unframed photograph print (12 x 18) can be yours in 3 to 5 business days.

"Bright Metalic Minis"

 

Ruben Toledo (husband of Isabel Toledo of Michelle O. dress fame) creates fabulous and feng-shui friendly illustrations. The uber talented artist is at once a painter, illustrator, fashion chronicler and even store window designer. His artwork is commissioned for album covers, ads, dishes and children’s books.

"The Obamas" © Toledo

One could maximize their closet and travel luck by framing his recent postcard-sized illustrations for Louis Vuitton’s City Guides. The set of cards depicting 100 cities is available at most Louis Vuitton shops for a mere $109. If street-glamour photography (a hybrid of street photography and high society) better suits your aesthetic, visit Getty Images Gallery for expertly printed fine art photographs. The print-to-order service, commonly used by interior designers and decorators sourcing art for office spaces and even restaurants is accessible to the everyday Jane. Gorgeous black and white or color prints of real-life dinner parties, fashion shows and lounge days at the beach are available at sizes as small as 8×10 and as large as poster or even semi-mural size for a new collector’s price.

Getty Image

If luxury and glamour are what you seek and/or inspires you, consider these artists’ work as creative and contemporary ways to bring chic luck your way.

New Resolution Cake

© Italian Vogue by M Aldridge

I have a love of food – buying, growing, cooking, eating and serving it. If I had any say in the matter, I’d order a six-course Middle Eastern dinner with falafel, roasted peppers, Lebanese flatbread, lemon-grilled octopus and humus as my last meal. My favorite scene in Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” was when the teen queen and her gal pals indulged in a private trunk show – shoes, lace fans, her cute pups and tons of mini pastries… What a life!  She may have lost her head in the end, but she knew how to live and eat well.

Marie-Antoinette

While diet and fitness gurus will pimp their shakes and cleanse programs as cure-all, what’s a girl to do if she actually likes to eat. The trick to eating luxuriously without bursting out of your DVF wrap dress is determining how much of what to eat, as opposed to what not to eat. Mirelle Guilliano, best-selling author of “French Woman’s Don’t Get Fat” understands this concept well. “French women typically think about good things to eat.  American women typically worry about bad things to eat.” According to her “French Woman’s Manifesto”, French women and us wanna-bees “eat three meals a day, balance their food, drink, and movement on a week-by-week basis and choose their own indulgences and compensations.  They understand that little things count, both additions and subtraction, and that as an adult everyone is the keeper of her own equilibrium”. Hence today’s big bowl of vegetable soup to be followed this evening with a small cup of creamy hot chocolate. From a practical and less-culturally specific standpoint, Guilliano’s prescription for epicurean eating is reduced to simply eating smaller portions of more things rather than larger portions of fewer things.

Variety and quality are essential ingredients to a mastering this art of slimming culinary pursuits. Luxurious need not always be exotic, but must be good. As a lapsed vegetarian, I am continually in awe of  salmon sashimi , spicy Andalusian sausage and prosciutto.  Even vegetables are succulent – rare varieties of eggplants, mushrooms and squash can mystify and delight taste buds. Organic dairy and eggs, locally grown veggies, and grass-fed meats are tasty, nutritious and often so expensive you won’t gobble them up as I sometimes do my popcorn. Last year I vowed to review my food choices (I was already working out religiously) yet it wasn’t until late August that I accidentally shaped up and slimmed down to my promised satisfaction.  How did I do it – I simply ate well. Naturally I avoided processed foods, pastries and extended cocktail hours, but I did honor my popcorn addiction and guiltlessly enjoyed an occasional pain au chocolate. This year it won’t take as long to burn those stored holiday calories. After all, white corset dresses await.

resolution dress from Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2011