Themes of isolation, loneliness and the distrust of loving others which are so prevalent in Japanese author Natsume Sōseki's post-war autobiographical novel Grass on the Wayside (MichiKusa), seem unlikely inspirations for the light and bright Everlasting Sprout Spring 2013 collection which debuted atMercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo last night. However, liner notes from the show which included the phrase "Michi kusa, Grass on the way side. I loiter about on my way, Under the bluest sky, with whitest cloud I keep walking", proved that indeed this was the starting point for Sprout designer Keiichi Muramatsu.
And that in itself revealed the creative cleverness for which Keiichi Muramatsu is adored. Never overly literal in his creation, Muramatsu forwent the mournful colors and funeral dirge music and instead focused his looks on the images of Spring described in the passage. Muramatsu's grass green runway, bright floral and fauna prints and twee straw hats, combined with more traditional Japanese embroidery and silhouettes suggested the period of major transition for the country of which the novel describes.
Exquisitely subtle in execution, yet utterly feminine, and just plain pretty the collection could easily be imagined on the backs of the fashion savvy girls of ANY international city be it Tokyo, Manhattan, or Paris.
Here are just a few of our favorite shots from the show.
All images: S. Whittle for Style Wylde.