My Instantaneous Voyage from New York to Japan

For me, there's no better feeling than freely roaming the streets of the concrete jungle - New York City - no school, no parents, no worries. There's a terrific deal of excitement and plenty of things to do. So abandon all of your worries and troubles. You might ask – “So why were you in New York City?” For the second season in a row, I headed back to the Big Apple to attend several shows I was invited to for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at New York City’s Lincoln Center. The lights, the cameras, the action, the people, the parties, and the free swank gift bags – it is not often that there is a fabulous occasion like this in Delaware. When it comes to fashion in the “Small Wonder”, I'm just a big fish in a small pond. Between trips for Teen Vogue and New York Fashion Week, I caught myself in a semi-trance of a dream that is still in the creation phase; but once I step foot on the busting streets that I call "home-away-from-home", I'm just as big as the other sharks. Being shoulder to shoulder with Teen Vogue's style blogger Andrew Beaven, attending fashion shows sitting just one row behind Vogue and GQ magazine editors. As well to snapping a photo with eminent The New York Times photographer and American radio talk show host Bill Cunningham and briefly meeting my style icon, men's fashion director of Nemian Marcus, Nickleson Wooster - it all seemed second nature to me, as if I've done it all before. I maintained my cool and composure and heck - even scored a few business cards and made new industry friends. Aside from all the excitement, rushing to get to shows on time, and recurring conversations about what trends we’ve been seeing for this coming fall, I headed back down south to the Fashion District to see the Fashion Institute of Technology’s museum, The Museum at FIT. Fashion Institute of Technology (also a college of art, design, business and technology) is ranked among the top 5 prestigious fashion schools in the world. The Museum at FIT includes extraordinary collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories. Articles of clothing and accessories from notable designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Christian Dior have all made a facade under the beaming lights of the museum. However, this year around was not about exhibiting the classism of European fashion; rather exhibiting the revolution and true avant-garde of Japanese fashion from the 1980’s. The Japan Fashion Now exhibition showcased bold, contemporary designs and demonstrated how much of an impact technology has on fashion. Designers such as Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Naoki Takizawa, to name a few, are just some of the many influential designers featured in the exhibit. As I made my way through the rotating doors of the museum, within sheer seconds, I was instantaneously immersed in the Japanese fashion subculture.

Color was in full effect at the exhibition. Japanese pop artist, Takashi Murakami, contributed his contemporary take on the classic Louis Vuitton monogram to the museum. The $5,000 Limited Edition handbag was festooned with smiling cartoon faces in the middle of pink and yellow flowers and detailed with gold hardware. Another eye-catcher, vibrant textiles that included a Kelly green and an citrusy orange two piece suit adorned with whimsical Japanese cartoon characters for Issey Miyake by Noki Takizawa spring 2000 menswear collection (another Takashi Murakami collaboration). With such whimsical ideas, there’s no excuse why such out of the ordinary fashion should lack color. Speaking of out of the ordinary: how would popular Japanese fictional character Hello Kitty, and beloved European designer, the late Yves Saint Laurent, allied sound? Leave it to Han Ahn Soon to solve such an intricate fashion solution. Han Ahn Soon found the innovation and true bravery to recreate the most iconic dress of the 20th century; Yves Saint Laurent’s “Mondrian” day dress from autumn of 1965. Han Ahn Soon metamorphosed the wool jersey dress in color blocks of white, red, blue, black, and yellow to an ultra feminine dress that was completely sequined in the same planarity prototype. Garlanded with the convivial presence of Hello Kitty on the side, Han Ahn Soon revives a classic dress for the 21st century fashionistas.

Black is the color of authority and power for those who wish to make a strong statement. It is also undoubtedly stylish and timeless. For designers like Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto, making a strong statement but in an understated immaculate condition, they cue effortlessly shades of black. For Rei Kawakubo of Comme Garçons, Rei shies away from the excitement of color and is rather obscure and minimal. Simple and easy fabrics such as cotton jersey or silk and ryon in hues of blue and black are skillfully swathed across the body. The detail? It’s all in the wrists. With little to no tailoring, Rei Kawakubo demonstrates the perfect balance between minimalism, obscurity, and the true avant-garde of the Japanese fashion culture.

Japan is the quintessential location for playing dress up. The unruliness style of the Harajuku girls, roaming the streets in essentially anything imaginative and startling they can find. This eccentric Japanese fashion was implemented by the teenagers and young adults of the Japanese culture and originated on the streets of Shibuya, Japan near the Harajuku Station. While most teenagers’ today gather at their local mall on a Friday night in hoodies and jeans, the Harajuku teenagers congregate at subway stations and take part in Cosplay (costume play). Dressing in layers, accessorizing, customizing your own wardrobe, being relentless with your hair and makeup, and wearing anything that looks good to you are the primary guidelines to succeed as a Harajuku girl. Hirooka Naoto, the creative mind of h.NAOTO showcased many different styles of the Harajuku subculture.

The Japan Fashion Now exhibit is extended to April 2, 2011. So if you have ever wanted to voyage 12 hours across the other side of the world to see Japan, the Japan Fashion Now exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology is like a virtual street scene of Tokyo, Japan. With such an inexpressible fashion culture, I can almost guarantee you will not be disenchanted. Not to mention, the Museum at FIT is just mere seconds from the thriving heart of New York City – Times Square. So you will be sure to have a good time.

−Jordan Mixon, New York City

(images via TFS)