#missashida

[franckcossoul]

[oneporktaco-blog]

japan fashion week: miss ashida

(images via jfw)

although new to opt (this being the first time we've discussed one of the label's collections), japanese brand miss ashida celebrated their 20th anniversary as part of the runway celebration for their s/s 2012 show at japan fashion week in tokyo.  the collection was titled 'from the bottom of my heart' and was apparently dedicated to the memory of the earthquake victims, at once making the proceedings as somber as they were festive.  or maybe they were just somber.  after all, no one likes to learn they've only got a lean decade standing between them and the big 3-0. 

anyway, in lieu of following a direct path, the spring range felt more like an overview of some of the house's signature moments, as we saw, quite frankly, a variety of colours and aesthetics.  although cut-outs and curving, architectural lines were perhaps the strongest motif riffing through the collection, it was rather difficult to pull the pieces apart (actually, rather ironically, japanese site fashion press actually suggested puzzle pieces with regards to those curving, interlocking lines we saw, as at top). 

starting out in pales tones of white and pearl gray (which later transitioned to a warmer, clay-like gray shade), the palette then burst into brights like grassy green, electric blue, and tomato red, and black, before fading back into the soft colours and earthy shades of terracotta, mauve, and the aforementioned gray, eventually winding up in a pastel garden of rose yellow, soft pink, beige, and baby blue (alongside that red shade, black, whitish hues, and gray).  sankei biz points out that we saw a (trans.) "chain print", while other motifs included stripes and geometric abstracts, and embellishments came in the form of swarovski crystals, embroidery, and ribbons. 

even the materials were diversified, points out fashion snap, including silk, chiffon, satin, georgette, leather, tulle, and lace.  and though most of the looks seemed centered around the young woman at cocktail hour (though her personal styles may be widely varied, given some of the differing tones of the pieces), with clingy minidresses or wide-skirted mid-century frocks dividing the honours as the key piece of the show, the finale gave way to shimmering evening gowns, eventually closing with a pristine, snow-white mermaid-style wedding dress, complete with tiers of ruffles (rather like a cake, i thought).  in the interim, we were also to see tailored and/or cropped jackets, pencil skirts (and dresses), slouchy eighties-style knits, and plenty of skinny cropped cigarette pants (where the mummy-like distressed leggings, as above, fit in, i just don't know.  though i did like them). 

individually, there were plenty of good pieces here, and i found that, upon inspecting each exit, i generally liked what i saw.  about ten-or-so looks in to the some 60 miss ashida offered, i began to realize i had no idea what the hell was going on, but all the same tried to flow with it.  this felt more about clothes than fashion, and given the energy in the pieces, it's not hard to understand why the house has existed some two decades, but all the same, i did find myself wondering how it got on the runway.  it's certainly possible that this was simply an exploration of their various ideas, as i suggested above, which would tend to promote forgiveness, but it was a lot to get through.  in short, i think you'd be better off in the boutique than actually running through the runway images.  edit is a word i'd, in the meantime, like the designers to learn. 

(watch a short runway video here)