By Hanna Kite

Festival of style
Issey Miyake rolls out more colorful creations for its Fete collection

Courtesy of Issey Miyake

The second wave of items from Issey Miyake’s new Fete collection has arrived at the Issey Miyake boutique in Aoyama. The fashion house’s latest line, Fete (“celebration” in French) draws on the technological innovations of Pleats Please and takes it to a higher, more colorful level. Unusual color combinations stood out in the autumn line with pink, navy, yellow and purple mixing it up while red-orange, turquoise and black pleated dresses and skirts formed the backbone of the collection. Detail work was also important as seen in heat-pressed seams on corset-like dresses and skirts, as well as the adjustable hemline and intricate seam work of the “parachute” coat. Fete has been in stores since July and by the time this month’s arrivals settle in, more formalwear will also be released in honor of the collection’s festive name. Issey Miyake representative Kunihiko Murayama invited “those who love color” to come and check out the new dresses. He promises, “You’ll be the star of the party!”

B1F Vingt Sept Bldg, 3-18-11 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3423-1408. Open 11am-8pm. Nearest stn: Omotesando. www.isseymiyake.com

Grab bag
Sazaby joins the bags-for-men brigade with a new Shinjuku store

In the hills of Shibuya, Kate Spade has turned into Jack and lifestyle queen Sazaby’s newest store features male-worthy bags and accessories. The khaki, black and leather totes, shoulder bags, and other carrying items at BaggageHandlers Union are part of a larger movement in the Sazaby conglomerate—the company also owns Afternoon Tea, agnes B. and their own name brand—to attract male consumers.

Courtesy of Baggage Handlers Union

Opened October 8 above Gap in Shinjuku, the newest BaggageHandlers Union features two floors of some of the latest textiles and materials, including DuPont’s hiking-trail-hardy Cordura cotton, and one-third aluminum, two-thirds magnesium alloy for bag clasps and belts. The brand was developed in collaboration with New York’s alifecreative and includes quirky items like rectangular bags that rely heavily on the BHU laughing-man logo and messenger bags with large lettered English sayings, as well as stylish looks like “Registration,” “Labor Leather a” and a huge nylon army-green and olive strapped duffel.

1-5-9 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3780-6515. Call for opening hours. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.baggagehandlers-union.com (Japanese)

All dolled up
Japanese heirloom dolls get the royal treatment at Beishu

Courtesy of Beishu

The Doll Festival may be almost six months away, but its namesake craft is a year-round concern at Beishu. Works by this venerable company are displayed in the Imperial Palace and in a permanent exhibition of a Paris museum, and have traveled to exhibits in Sweden and Australia. Each doll is made using techniques that have been designated as Intangible Cultural Properties by the Japanese government.

Besides delicate craftsmanship, the founder of Beishu has studied the human body at an art school and observed the expression of his family to create his famous dolls. Some have lifelike faces, some are chubby, others slim, and one empress even has a barely detectable Mona Lisa smile. The dolls’ colorful kimonos, often made with real gold, are also striking. Beishu is currently producing seasonal dolls for New Year’s but sells a variety of commemorative dolls throughout the year. Prices for sets range from ¥365,000 to ¥1.32 million. They are on display at the main gallery at Beishu headquarters, and at all Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi department stores.

2-3-12 Daitouhigashi, Daitou-ku. Tel: 03-3834-3501. Call for gallery hours. Nearest stn: Akihabara. www.beishu.com (Japanese)

top