Winter Florals, Tokyo-style
All the latest floral trends from Tokyo Fashion Week, AW26 edition
Floral inspiration, straight from backstage at Tokyo Fashion Week, AW26 edition
Scheduled slightly later than its more prominent counterparts in New York, Paris, Milan and London, Tokyo Fashion Week, also known as Rakuten Fashion Week, sits somewhat on the outskirts of the global fashion circuit, but makes up for it with sheer creativity and a refreshing disregard for trends and commerciality.
When it comes to florals, it never disappoints. Echoing the nation’s deep sensitivity to the seasons and its reverent admiration for flora - as a way of coming to terms with the fleeting nature of existence and the passage of time - Japanese and more generally Asian designers have long drawn inspiration from flowers. If Autumn-Winter collections are rarely the season for florals to shine, the AW26 runways in Tokyo were replete with botanical references.
First off was Yueqi Qi, who presented a whimsical and feminine collection in a stunning Frank Lloyd Wright building in Ikebukuro ; flowers appeared everywhere and in every form: delicate pastel prints embellished with lace and fur, more daring macrame-like knitted lace, and intricate metalwork resembling rose-patterned lace. Florals extended beyond the garments themselves, appearing as pearl arrangements on the models’ faces, as threads of beaded flowers dangling from the eyes, eyelashes or nose, and in the form of flat, beaded hairpins.
Yohei Ohno captured everyone’s attention with a sculptural, mini-length pink dress resembling an exotic flower in bloom, while flashes of pastel tones evoking the freshness of a rose brightening the rest of the collection.
At Houga, known for its romantic sensitivity, florals were in turn deeply romantic, made of tulle or lace, and graphic, with a monochrome rose print and intricate floral applique motif.
Finally, Yusho Kobayashi was perhaps the most complete celebration of florals ; they were present on all looks in some form of another, from patchworks of “Little House in the Prairie” style motifs to painted blooms on crinkly paper dresses that had the beautiful naivete of a child’s drawing.
Text & coverage by Elisa Eymery - @elisa_eymery
www.elisaeymery.com
Designers
Yueqi Qi - @_yueqiqi
Yohei Ohno - @yohei_ohno
Houga - @_houga_
Yusho Kobayashi - @yushokobayashi