TADASHI SHOJI DOES LIGHT AND COLOR FOR SPRING

The unmistakable sound of ukuleles and sharp electric music created the fanfare for Tadashi Shoji’s Spring/Summer Runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

What followed was a beautiful collection, un homage to the tulip, how it blooms, how it changes, how its colors shift.  Part artist, part designer and probably part architect, Tadashi Shoji’s collection is colorful and superbly feminine.  Even the colors came from the garden:  rosebud, fern, magnolia and willow.  The hues faded from bright to white, like tie-dyed done expensively.

Tiered dresses moved, almost in slow-motion, down the catwalk.  The true stars of the show were the whites.  These were real summer dresses, some fitted, some flowy, all incredibly lovely.

Tadashi Shoji seems to me to be one of the quiet designers, without the mad crowd pushing and shoving to get in, and that’s just right.  His designs are classy and classic, perfect with a crisp white wine enjoyed in a warm, summer breeze.

Photography: Anton Brookes