Tokyo Fashion Week

Graphic by Grace Lougheed. Image via TokyoFashion

Graphic by Grace Lougheed. Image via TokyoFashion

The Spring/Summer 2020 Tokyo Fashion Week ran from Monday, October 14th, to Friday, October 18th, and featured many incredible Japanese and international brands.

On Monday:

The brand tiit tokyo played around with various silhouettes and sheer fabrics. From low waisted trousers to dresses cinched at the ribcage to formless dress shirts, the outfits played with waistline placement, resulting in a dynamic runway. The ensembles toed the line of business casual, presenting outfits full of blazers, dress pants, and other formal attire, but then contrasting them with items such as a pair of velcro sandals, dressing the outfit down. The brand stuck to mostly monochrome and muted neutrals, keeping their designs intriguing through the use of patterns. 

My favorite outfit was from early in their runway — it featured a black tank top layered over a patterned, short-sleeved mock-neck with an uneven bottom hem. I adore the way this outfit in particular plays with waistline and silhouette, and the cream, wide-legged trousers balance the look without distracting from the top half.

Also on Monday was the brand TATYANA PARFIONOVA. The brand’s creator and namesake was born in Ukraine in 1956, and her family moved to Leningrad when she was eight years old. Today she is a world-renowned designer and has received many awards in Russia and various international shows. 

Her runway featured dresses whose designs sampled from nature — clouds, water lilies, bamboo, and more. Several pieces juxtaposed the nature-based imagery with striking patterns, creating a fusion of natural and synthetic which perfectly captures the architecture of modern-day Tokyo. 

My favorite piece of TATYANA PARFIONOVA’s runway was a blue satin dress whose skirt was adorned with water lilies in the style of an oil painting. To me, this piece is one of the most interesting because of the bow details connecting the skirt and sleeves to the bodice, details I can foresee trickling into everyday designs.

This entire collection was one of my all-time favorites; each piece displayed such attention to detail and creativity, and I hope to see some of her designs represented in the fashion trends of this upcoming year. 

On Tuesday:

HIROKO KOSHINO took the stage, created by its designer of the same name. Koshino was born and raised in Osaka, where she also launched her first haute couture store. She was the first Japanese designer to participate in the Alta Moda in Rome and has been involved in the Paris Pret-à-Porter for over 10 years. 

The collection featured unevenly chopped black wigs, worn by almost all of the models, and added excitement by pairing muted, semi-formal attire with neon accessories. The runway began tamely, with mostly neutral colors but very unique structure. As the show progressed, more and more color and pattern burst into the pieces, introducing several outfits based on the same silhouette, an oversized dress shirt and patterned knee-high socks, but in different colors. 

The runway ended with a return to black and white, featuring eight separate designs based on the motif of piano keys, each distinguished by vastly different structures.

Another extraordinary collection on Tuesday was the brand NON TOKYO. Founded by Ichige Ayano in 2015, it was one of the youngest brands featured and that youthfulness made its way into the fashion. Their runway was one of the most non-conforming — rebellious and lightly grunge. 

NON TOKYO leaned into the aesthetic of streetwear, blending graphic patterns with an industrial, militant style. Their pieces included a lot of camouflage, buckles, and large pockets sewn onto the clothing. Each ensemble was a unique blend of pattern and color, often with several chunky layers which gave the looks plenty of personality. My favorite outfit featured a bright yellow-green graphic sweatshirt tucked into two skirts and a pair of pants. Despite its very modern patterns, the volume of the lower half of the piece felt reminiscent of hoop skirts of the 1800s, which intrigued me.

On Wednesday:

One of the most eye-catching runways of the week was TOMO KOIZUMI’s collection on Wednesday. The brand was created by Tomotaka Koizumi and just had its fashion week debut at the NYFW Fall/Winter 2019 show.

TOMO KOIZUMI presented eccentric, glamorous gowns full of ruffles, volume, and striking color. While they walked just ten pieces, this breathtaking collection certainly left its mark, and I expect even more great things from this young designer in the years to come.

I loved the simplicity of the first gown, whose solid white color paired with the ruffle and bow designs looked like a Swan Lake-inspired Rihanna red carpet dress; but my favorite piece was the neon green dress which followed soon after. While it was difficult to choose a favorite, the color is so bold, and I loved the shape, with its high back and flowing train. The model’s futuristic hair and makeup styling perfectly completed the look and bumped it to the top of my list.

The creator of TOKYO 1er VOL, Tokuko Maeda, is a Japanese-born designer now living in Paris, France. After graduating from Japan’s Bunka College in 1969, she spent most of her career working in France. She founded TOKYO 1er VOL in 1989, and it debuted in Tokyo shortly after.

The brand’s Spring/Summer line featured a collage of tropical motifs, 1970s disco, and workwear. The runway opened with several jaw-dropping gowns full of tropical colors and patterns, with hats to put the Kentucky Derby to shame. As the show progressed, the ensembles settled into less dramatic business looks. Most of these pieces featured a shapeless design, either a straight shift dress or uncinched A-line.

While the pieces drew closer to ready-to-wear, TOKYO 1er VOl still held on to its tropical and disco motifs, with patterns and embellishments that called back to the beginning of the runway. It is almost impossible for me to state that anything other than the opening gown is my favorite — even though the piece is full of colors and patterns, they are carefully balanced, crafting a dress that is exquisitely over-the-top. 

The 2020 Tokyo Fashion Week Spring/Summer collection was packed with an array of color, texture, and style — I hope you have taken some inspiration, as I have, from these stunning runways! I chose some of my favorites, but there are even more amazing designers than can be included here. If you are interested, I urge you to check out the rest of the collections here!

FashionHaley Grindle