Nozomi Ishiguro was actually the show to kick off the Tokyo fashion week schedule S/S 2012 and it is truly shameful that I am only just getting round to writing about this fantastic showing. On that subject, I have always toyed with the idea of trying to get each and every show written up as it happens, yet I don’t know about you but I find that a little bit of barrage of information and imagery that doesn’t really give the designers the considered concentration they deserve. Nozomi Ishiguro’s Haute Couture show for S/S 2012 is definitely one that ought to demand your attention, and like FACETASM that I spoke about earlier this week, has so much going on in it that is easier to skip past it then take in all the details.
But before we get stuck into the collection, I just have to mention the location which was in the grounds of Chichibunomiya Rubgy stadium in central Tokyo. The models walked some 150 metres in a straight runway in the eaves under the seating of the stadium, a fantastic arrangement that was accompanied by a booming classical soundtrack which serendipitously disturbed the bats settled in the rafters of the stadium, setting the scene wonderfully. The scene in question being that of revolution, or as the designer put it – the revolution that should come as the youth realise that the peace they are living in is not all it is cracked up to be. This was represented incredibly literally through the use of flags carrying messages of revolution written in French and in the blood stained prints that turned up throughout the collection, but also in subtle details like the reversible jackets (with one side dangerously subversive and the other relatively conservative) and all small military/cultish details across the simpler items to build to the idea of a secretly anti-establishment brigade.
The theme was fairly united across the men’s and women’s looks (although be warned I am going to focus on the men’s for now) and there was some really nice plays between the gendered lines, such as the flags the men were carrying turning up as wraps for the women and so on.
With a Nozomi Ishiguro show you are always treated to haute couture quality creations (like the heavy knit suspended in sheer above) but that never betrays the Harajuku street fashion origins and spirit of youth rebellion.
This is one of my favorite looks from the show, and in particular I like how the broad ribbing of the jumper accentuates the muscles of the male body in a truly unconventional way.
Fans of the brand will be happy that Nozomi Ishiguro’s famous patch-work is back again this season and is almost certain to be the most desirable items from the collection.
There you have it, an optimistic rebellion in waiting from Nozomi Ishiguro and if you are new to the brand I heartily recommend checking out the back-catalogue of collections here, and rest assured I will keep my ear out for the sound of distant drums.
