March 21

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Tamao Shigemune: Modern Kimono To Die For

Posted by on March 21, 2017 in Awesome Stuff To Do, Fashion Inferno, Just...Beautiful, Made In Japan, Traditional Stuff I Love | 7 Comments

Paris model photos all by the ultra-talented Tsubomi Photo Studio

So you think you can’t rock a kimono because you’re not Japanese? Think again! Tamao Shigemune designs modern versions of traditional Japanese women’s wear with a distinctly Parisian twist, and guess what? You can see them (and try her new summer collection on!) right now in Tokyo, through Sunday March 26th.

The first thing I thought when I saw photos of Shigemune’s summer collection plus Zaaka Vincent‘s whimsical accessories was “haute couture” not “oh, look – foreigners dressed in Japanese costumes.”

Even a visitor having a deathly hair malfunction feels elegant when being dressed in fab kimono like this. And check out the obi: it’s designed so that the second wrap is narrower than the first, so the contrasting fabric peeks out above it!

The entry gives you a little taste of what’s to come, including a few of Shigemune’s eyepopping obis, metal-spiked pineapple pins and a hamburger hat

The summer collection of kimonos is a mix of bold geometrics and beautifully rendered birds…

…and they mix & match with new obi designs that are backed with fun contrast materials, which wink at you from inside the obi bow when it’s tied

She was showing a really large assortment of obis – each more wantworthy than the last – plus two cute x 1000 purses

You can see why I was tempted to say “I’ll take one in every color” when it came to the accessories too

See the supercute dotted obiage peering out from atop Shigemune-san’s moon obi?

Naturally, your zori have to up their game to run with the big dogs, which is why shiny red and polka-dotted footwear were invented

And THESE. Don’t you think we all need a pair of these? Because what else are we going to wear with our tiaras JUST SAYIN

Tamao Shigemune will be showing her collection at that Gallery Triplet on the 4th floor of Minami Aoyama 3-8-2 from 12:00 til 19:00, every day through Sunday, March 26, 2017. Here’s a link to the Tamao Shigemune web shop in case you want to feast your eyes on the lovelies but can’t make it to the show (and, uh, you’ll probably kill me for telling you this, but she ships internationally!)

If you ARE in Tokyo and want to try them on in person, here’s a Google map link to the Gallery Triplet. It’s a little hard to find – the ground floor of the building is a restaurant, and you have to go down the narrow and unpromising-looking alley to the left to find the elevator, which you can’t see from the alleay. It’s hidden at the end, to the right.

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Jonelle Patrick writes mysteries set in Tokyo. Her fourth book – Painted Doll – is just out in paperback 

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