2008: a Space Odyssey With Tsumori Chisato
We are never quite sure what to expect from Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato but are always excited to find out. We love her for her daring leaps into a cosmic fantasy and her playful use of color and form. Whimsical and feminine, Tsumori, like fashion is both elusive and extravagant. Tsumori epitomizes the nature of fashion by taking advantage of its vulnerability. She plays hard and pushes the envelope to the max. For fashion is often more fleeting than an encounter of lust; entering like a gust of wind blowing away everything in sight. Only time will tell of its true power and ability to outlast trends and crazes. One can never truly pin fashion down, for as soon as we begin to understand its language, the next season is upon us.
Tsumori Chisato welcomes the Fall 2008 season with memories of a space odyssey. Imaginative day dreams, childhood drawings of the outer world, glow-in-the-dark stars and puffy space suit-like shapes appropriated from a Neil Armstrong fashion archive sneak into Fall’s inspirational creativity. Her planetary designs appear here in her Fall collection, awaking the senses and the realization that we are not fully alone in our bubble world. Tsumori’s collection reminds us of the infinite extent of our creative possibilities and the reality that sometimes traveling outside the boundaries of our own home actually takes us closer to who we are.
She begins her collection by experimenting with simple geometrical shapes, layering velvet and metallic circle, square and triangle forms upon dresses and tops. She plays with a new version of the flutter and dolman sleeve by developing one that looks like a tulip petal while covering like a cocoon but allowing for full arm movement. Caplets and swing coats follow this lead along with a beautiful gray ombre wool over coat. Roughly ninety five percent of her fall collection is short dresses, styled with opaque and ombre stockings and ankle socks circa 1960. Scalloped necklines, ruffled sleeves and petal layered skirts continue to pull us into the clouds of Tsumori’s whimsical fantasy where delicate layering is the master of her space travel vessel.
These 1960’s inspired silhouettes and shapes are approachable through Tsumori’s choice of color. Shades of sherbert orange, soft pink, beige, light gray, and cobalt blue dominate the palette. Well known for her use of artistic hand drawn patters and designs Tsumori then produces them onto fabric creating one-of-a-kind unique prints. Her customer following is widely based on this nonpareil and individual style that yields coveted runway and ready-to-wear pieces for her audience. Any savvy fashion collector knows that an investment in Tsumori Chisato will prove to not only fulfill your fashion fantasy needs but will remain a coveted item on into the next frontier.
Tsumori Chisato and other haute designers can be found at LA?s Satine Boutique and at http://www.satineboutique.com, a creative place to mix and match your modern sensibility with your wild dreams.
Satine is located at 8117 W. Third Street Los Angeles, CA 90048.