oh my.

makes the world go round

My homepage is Drudge Report, a website that has international news reports from columnists and news sources all around the world wide web. It takes a little while for my Firefox to load, and usually I barely skim the headlines before logging into my Gmail account, however, today I opened my eyes as wide as I could and read some news articles concerning 'our' global recession. 'Democrats want financial aid for the auto-industry,' 'Will Europe ever have an Obama'...I felt like I was in a different universe just by reading these articles. So much of it has no direct effect on my everyday life here in Japan, and it all seems a bit surreal. Is it because I'm a fashion design student, not a political science student? Is it because I hang around with ex-patriots or seemingly aimless travelers, not salary men or corporate lawyers? Quizás, Quizás, Quizás.

I came across one article that I could empathize with. Emirates see fiscal crisis as chance to save culture. This past summer I flew with Emirates to go to Kuwait, and that's what caught my eye. Dubai is the new definition of ridiculous, in the sense that businesses are running wild with their money. Now that there is a global recession, development is slowing down, and the people of Dubai can reflect on the rapid change that has occurred during the past few years. Focus. Is most of it just a novelty for the public, obsessed with greater and grander things? What can globalization do for any country if their culture dissipates and becomes rejected by newer generations? There are parallels in modern Japanese society, no? If Japan were to have remained an isolated country, would we have Nintendo? The temples and simple harmonious rock gardens in Kyoto are only tourist attractions now, they charge you to get in. What happened to the innate culture that was Japan, and does it have any relevance now besides as a once a week judo club meeting with classmates? The traditions aren't lost, but they have been disfigured like chewing gum; blown, and popped, and eventually spit out. Can Dubai keep face?




I think not.

Thierry Mugler, an anecdote

I once tried on a dress by Thierry Mugler at a store in Daikanyama called Eva. It's a select shop, a term I heard first used in Japan, meaning a store with hand picked items: vintage Versace silk blouses, jewelry from Columbia, plastic plates from 1960's America, limited release records and books...you get the point. The stores are usually small, and are run with a staff of one or two people, maybe the majority of the items are the store owner's own private collection, or, possibly, it's their hobby...because these stores are hidden in residential areas, or on the third floor of a building, the merchandise is over priced, they don't advertise, or ever go on sale, I wonder how they stay in business... Anyhow, there are many many select shops in the Nakameguro area, and Eva is one that has vintage designer women's wear. It stocks vintage Hermes silk shirt dresses, vintage Hanae Mori, remade ethnic embroidered pieces, etc. The store owner, Seiko, gets her inventory from online dealers, and stockists, but she keeps her stuff, the good stuff, in the back. This is how I came upon an incredible dress by Thierry Mugler. It was short sleeved with a seam down the middle of the shoulder that curved in an 's' shape, and pointed out a little at the end. It had a wing collar with a snap, and there was a keyhole opening in the front that went down to the bust, just so when you move your shoulders a little bit, you can see some décolletage. The snaps continue down the front until the waist, and the back had some draping, but the dress was fitted from waist down (a really nice silhouette that makes your bum look yum); the length was below the knee, and with a slit in the back. It was forest green, and the material was a stiff, thick worsted wool that could really keep it's shape. so. very. modern. I wriggled into it (realizing later there was a side zipper), put on a pair of pumps, and when I stepped in front of the mirror, it was as if a distinct part of my personality had manifest itself in the reflection. The fit was more than amazing; front, side and back. It was the most stylish suggestive dress one could hope for. It was demure, but the geometrical detailing and cut could not go unnoticed, even to the goggle-eyed chihuahua in the arms of the mistress standing next to you in an elevator. I mean, it had a tenacity, unlike any other dress, that could translate in all languages, and could substantially change your life. This is what I want to make, superficial clothes. The dress wasn't for sale, and that's fine by me. I just wanted to see what I looked like in it.