Few designers collapse the boundaries between fashion and art as audaciously as Rei Kawakubo, the visionary force behind Comme des Garçons. In 2017, the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a landmark retrospective of her work, Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, spotlighting the designer’s relentless pursuit of ambiguity, contradiction, and reinvention. This week’s featured kimono-inspired ensemble, however, was photographed as part of the exhibit Kimono Style, featuring items from the collection of John C. Webber. Continue reading Eye On Design: Rei Kawakubo, Manga-Inspired Kimono Ensemble→
The serendipitous discovery of this Rihanna mural, located in the industrial Arts District of Downtown LA adjacent to the newly reconstructed Six Street Bridge, occurred when Geoffrey and I arrived at the Luna LunaArt Amusement Park exhibit and spotted it from across the parking lot. Although we were quite a ways away from it, I just had to walk over for a closer look. Continue reading Rihanna Mural in Downtown LA→
In 1903, French couturier Paul Poiret made his first loose dress with hints of the kimono shape, and by 1906 he had presented his first collection to be worn without a corset. Poiret’s self-confessed lack of sewing skills pushed him to experiment with sculpting fluid garments directly on the body. Continue reading Eye On Design: Paris Opera Coat By Paul Poiret→
For his firm’s participation in this years Dining By Design event, renowned Interior Designer Roric Tobin calls on his extensive work in Japan and his deep appreciation for Japanese design, imagining an evening celebration in the classical Japanese garden of Korakuen.
Unlike many 20th-century fashion designers, Norman Norell rarely sought inspiration from non-western or exotic cultures. Norell’sObi dresses (circa 1965) were a rare exception. Named after the wide belt used to secure and ornament a Japanese Kimono, the wrap-style Obi Dresses were constructed with a built-in panel of fabric that encased the upper torso using a hook and eye closure. Continue reading Eye On Design: Obi Kimono Style Wrap Dress By Norman Norell→
