“I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men” – Marlene Dietrich
The above quote and the Golden Age of Shanghai served as inspiration for Tadashi Shoji‘s Fall 2012 Collection. Models styled by Tina Chai wore sleek simple side buns in their hair as they strutted down the runway to dark ominous sounding music.
This season Shoji’s collection was rich with luxe fabrics of lace, silk, and velvet, in the form of drop-waist dresses and column gowns. The majority of the collection in colors of black and hazel allowed the gowns in flame, marina, and seagrass to really stand out. Shoji’s hemlines, necklines, and silhouettes produced sexy yet conservatively elegant gowns such as the Seagrass Pleated Lace Blouson Long Sleeve Gown, the Marina and Black Embroidered Lace Tiered Strapless Gown and my favorite the Flame Washed Velvet and Beaded Lace Cowl Back Long Sleeve Gown.
Shoji’s collection was cohesive and put forth the ideas which inspired it.