The closing event of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo for the past few seasons, the Facetasm runway presentation is always packed with surprises, especially for those attempting to shoot it! In the past, colored lights, or nearly no light, fog, spots, and even an elaborate wooden structure that nearly blocked the view entirely for the media riser have been put into play, often with an effect that is spectacular for the viewing audience, but really difficult to shoot, and impossible to appreciate via photographs for those not present.
For Fall 2015 Facetasm designer Hiromichi Ochiai went an entirely different route. Gone was the dark and brooding atmosphere of the past that forced the audience to peer through the fog in hopes of getting a glimpse of Ochiai's fantastically elaborate work. Instead the show was presented in bright, almost blinding fluorescent light that put Ochiai's work, every stitch and every tuck of it, under the microscope for all the clearly see. There was nothing hidden, nothing left for interpretation, the work was just out there.
And what amazing work it was! As a photographer and fashion fan, I am not sure I've ever been happier to see a collection exposed in this manner. From diamond shaped pintucks on sleeves, to hugely voluminous coats, to layers and layers of pleating, ruffles, and buckles, the collection was gorgeously executed, endlessly original, and at the end of it, just plain fun.
Images from the collection below. I hope you enjoyed it, and all of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo as much as I did. Thanks for being there with me Wyldies, and as always click on any image to launch in a larger lightbox format for best viewing.
All Images: Cynthia Anderson for Style Wylde