Hong Kong x Tokyo. A recap. Part II.

OK. Onto the Tokyo part of my trip. I stayed in Shinjuku, so I was in the Ginza/ Shinjuku/ Harajuku area quite a bit. And then, I went to the other shopping hot spot Shibuya as well. Akihabara for all my electronic/ techno needs (massive massive stores), sight seeing at Asakusa and a day trip to Yokohama. I won't bore you with the details, but it consisted of a whole lot of shopping, walking around and eating. You know- ramen and sushi and all that good authentic Japanese food. A special mention must be made for the Tsukiji fish market as the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. A tourist area for sure, but the food was fantastic. Long lines for a sushi breakfast- impossibly fresh and the best sushi I've ever tasted.

On the fashion front, Harajuku had these grand flagships so I went snap happy:
The signature black and white Chanel look reflected in the color scheme of the store. I love the color blocking and it's style is classic with a twist- an embodiment of the Chanel design principles.
The Louis Vuitton store, in my mind, takes its inspiration from domestic architecture. The roof of the building looks like the modern house and whilst I don't think it's the most glamorous Louis flagship in the whole of Tokyo (the one at Roppongi beats this in terms of design hands down)... I sure won't mind living here.

This next one was snapped at Ginza. The Lanvin store. It's quirky and I like that. It stands out from your standard store fronts because of the black. I don't really know what else to write so I'll leave it at that (I think it's because I've been here quite a few times already). Preview: the next holiday recap post goes to my shopping loot!
Photo cred: myself

More on Ferré

Just something from The Daily that I found particularly endearing and further highlights the role of Gianfranco Ferré as the "architect of fashion":

“I met him when I was working in the New York office of Vogue Italia,” said editor-at-large Joyce Caruso Corrigan (of Marie Claire), who recalled her sole encounter with the architect of fashion. “I was introduced to him by Franca Sozzani, who was also wearing all black, and when we shook hands, he looked at my all-black outfit and said, ‘Oh, I see you’re part of the mourning party.”

Because well, quite simply, architects love black! I love black too! (Vera Wang, I dont care if you think black is the 90s!) After all, doesn't everyone?

Salute to Gianfranco Ferré

Gianfranco Ferré, perhaps best known as the “architect of fashion” for his sculpted shapes, structured forms, and for his groundbreaking career at Christian Dior, died Sunday evening after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. The Italian designer was 62.

It's sad to note the death of yet another prominent figure within the fashion industry- the creative director of his own label but more importantly, the head designer of Christian Dior where he reigned for seven years from 1989 to 1996. The simplicity and structure of his designs should be noted- I liked that it exuded that sense of ease.

While that's wonderful and worthy of praise, what I love and find the most fascinating about Gianfranco Ferré is his groundings in architecture- a degree from Politecnico di Milano, which has one of the best architectural programs in the world (and I was almost going to apply to attend). I think there might be a tinge of regret from me that I didn't end up going through with Bachelor of Architecture degree now that I think about it.
Cred: style.com, the Daily