“This April, I went to Paris to see the autumn/winter ready-to-wear shows. I was surprised to find that, unlike in the past, there were no particularly distinctive features that could be identified as the prevailing fashion trends.
At the same time, unlike a few years ago, I was no longer overwhelmed by the extraordinary creativity of Parisian ready-to-wear. There were very few clothes that made me want to wear them immediately.
More often than not, I found myself thinking that the clothes coming out of Tokyo were actually better.
This book is a catalogue of autumn and winter clothing that I have personally selected from the rich variety of fashion available in Tokyo.
Of course, I have also included clothes from Paris, Milan, and New York—whenever I came across something I particularly liked.”
— 原由美子 Yumiko Hara
Yumiko Hara and 5 Designers
Ms. Kawakubo and I have a senior–junior relationship going back to our university days at Keio. And following a move at the end of last year, we also became neighbors.
That said, we rarely see each other outside of work. But in any case, she is also very much my senior as a stylist, which makes me something of a less-than-accomplished junior by comparison.
— 川久保玲 Rei Kawakubo
I love the slope here in Nogizaka. I suppose it's because I like to imagine that if I followed this road downhill, I would eventually reach the sea.
Sometimes, when work has been particularly hectic and I find myself ironing my beloved navy-blue clothes late at night, the creases in the fabric begin to look like waves. Suddenly, I'm overcome by an irresistible longing to see the sea.
The other day, when I met Yohji Yamamoto, I mentioned that I wanted to see the sea in northern France during winter. He nodded and said:
"The sea there is extraordinary. It rises before your eyes like a vertical wall, with furious waves crashing straight toward you. As you watch, you begin to feel as though you want to die, that perhaps you'd be better off dead. It's almost like being trapped in a nightmare."
As he spoke, for a brief moment, Yamamoto's eyes seemed to take on the color of the sea that I love so much — a deep navy blue.
As I grow older, my preferences in color change, if only slightly. That doesn't mean I've come to dislike the colors I once loved.
I think one of the reasons I've grown so fond of navy blue is that I spent so many days at my house in Kamakura, looking out at the sea.
— 山本耀司 Yohji Yamamoto
Women who wear Comme des Garçons
(Individuals from left to right)
Kinue Horikoshi, Comme des Garçons (Public Relations)
Mariko Nakajima, Hair Designer (Mod's Hair)
Kazuko Sato, Yoga Instructor
Mariko Chikada, Textile Designer
Marsha Iwatate (Interior Designer)
Tsubomi Tanaka, Comme des Garçons (Planning Department)
Setsuko Araki, Hair Designer (Mod's Hair)
Y's Clothing
Black and Khaki
A layering of a coat and dress, both short and flared at the hem, accented with khaki trousers that have cuffs. Wool velour coat (¥52,000), Rayon dress with a small shirt collar (¥22,800), Flannel trousers (¥14,800), Flat shoes (¥24,800), all from Y's
The 7/8 Length Coat
The tent-line shirt dress is a design with a shallow neckline that you pull on over your head. Wear the 7/8-length coat draped over it, and enjoy the layering of loose garments. Cotton gabardine dress (¥21,800), Matelassé weave coat (¥52,000), Shoes (¥25,800), all from Y's
My Style
(Page 1)
(Captions left to right, top to bottom)
Looking back over these photographs, I can see that there are some outfits I can no longer really get away with wearing at my age. But conversely, I've also discovered that I've finally reached an age when clothes of certain colors and shapes have begun to suit me.
A slightly oversized denim jacket. This spring, when secondhand denim jackets were in fashion, I went against the trend and deliberately chose one made by a manufacturer. Since this was just before heading to a shoot, I’m wearing Boy Scout trousers, but I’ve also worn it with a black tight skirt, like a blazer-coat.
A long-sleeved cardigan suit in cotton piqué that I bought this year to go to Kyoto to buy kimono. It has a slightly formal feel, so its uses seem fairly wide.
A jumpsuit in Chinese-made indigo cotton, designed by agnès b., that I bought in Paris this spring. It’s easy to move in during shoots and it covers up my body shape, so it’s a favorite.
One of the jackets I often wear in midsummer. It’s Comme des Garçons winter wear from three or four years ago. The trousers are secondhand, made for Boy Scouts, but since the length is short, my choice of shoes is inevitably limited.
The first piece of clothing I bought with my own money. The fabric is Harris Tweed bought in Kamakura and tailored at a tailor’s shop. It’s sturdy, as you’d expect, and I feel I could keep wearing it for a long time, even when I’m an old lady.
When I was in charge of costumes for the Shochiku film Three Undelivered Letters with Matsuzaka Keiko, Kurihara Komaki, and Kanzaki Ai. Film work was a first for me and I learned a great deal. The jacket is one I bought two years ago: just the jacket of a black-and-white check suit.
On rainy days, a raincoat and rubber boots are comfortable and naturally go well together. This Saint Laurent raincoat was bought four years ago, when simple shapes were still rare in Japan. I like coats, and there was a period when I often wore raincoats even on days when it wasn’t raining.
A blue shirt my father had custom-made long ago. I inherited it when the collar was worn, and my mother removed the collar and turned it into a band-collar shirt. When I still lived in Kamakura, in summer I would wear that shirt over my swimsuit with corduroy trousers and often go to the sea.
(Page 2)
(Captions left to right, top to bottom)
This summer, a single-layer indigo-dyed kimono made at Takashimaya for a Croissant magazine feature. I love the sparrow pattern among the bamboo. The obi is a bingata style (stencil-dyed) obi my mother dyed herself; it became too showy for her to wear, so I inherited it.
When I lived with my mother, we often went shopping together once it came to making Western clothes, partly because our tastes were similar. The wisteria-colored jersey blazer suits white hair better.
A Comme des Garçons Homme summer suit I bought last spring. It’s lightweight men’s wool serge, and I love the color and fabric feel. I wear it more than anything else now, combined with all sorts of clothes. I wore this outfit to Paris both last year and this year.
The same jacket as in the studio photo on the left. Here I’m wearing it with a cotton blouse and a black tight skirt I bought this year, but for shoots I vary it by pairing it with chinos or an antique pearl necklace, so it’s a fun, versatile piece.
The same suit as in the photo on the right. It feels best in early summer, but I wear it in every season except midsummer: with a T-shirt in spring, a sweater in winter.
Last winter, at a secondhand shop in Shirokane, I bought this jacket for ¥6,000. It has Harris Tweed and Mitsukoshi labels on the lining. It’s very soft from being worn in, so for shoots I wear it over chinos, shirts, and so on, as a stand-in for a cardigan.
Jackets and blazers are among my favorite things. This linen jacket with gold stripes was found by chance at a bargain sale during a Thierry Mugler show about three years ago, and I wore it with a slightly short skirt. Gold was just becoming fashionable then.
Last winter, for a Croissant feature, with Tanaka Hiroko and Kawakubo Rei. Ms. Tanaka is editor-in-chief of the magazine Illustration, and Ms. Kawakubo is the designer of Comme des Garçons. They are close friends who go beyond those professional roles. The blazer I’m wearing is one I bought about six years ago and still like.
One of the patterns I wore a lot until about three years ago. I bought this deep green over-blouse at Dorothée Bis in Paris. I liked its side pockets and pull-over shape, so I later asked a tailor to remake it three times in cotton and linen.
