Eastern blooms

FASHION:The Chinese Garden at this weekend's Bloom festival in Dublin's Phoenix Park serves as a backdrop for this celebration of oriental fashion. Kimonos are in, don't you know.

EVERY NOW AND again Western fashion falls in love with the Far East. When Marc Jacobs sent out his post-modern take on Chinese fashion of 1930s Shanghai at his spring 2011 show in Paris for Louis Vuitton, he triggered a high-street trend for cheongsams, tassels and mandarin collars. Many saw it as a collection pitched towards emerging Asian markets, but those close-fitting sheaths, sexy slits and slick hair, delivered instant supercool status in lacquer red and cloisonné blue, two colours set to cast their stardust over the coming winter season, too.

Other illustrations of the Chinoiserie effect are the bold flower-printed silk tunics and dresses in Dries Van Noten’s current collection. These unique prints may be impossible to copy, but I found two cheongsams in Temple Bar’s new vintage shop Shotsy this week, one in a deep purple wool, the other more traditionally in pale silk brocade, each about €40.

Japanese designers once shocked Paris; now their deconstructed tailoring and monochrome palette are taken for granted. What they introduced was the Eastern tradition of layering on the body rather than cutting close to its shape. Even the late Alexander McQueen acknowledged the Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo as a huge inspiration. “Their influence isn’t direct, but comes through an attitude; it’s about being challenging and not being afraid to operate in a way that might be at odds with the fashion world,” says Catherine Ince, curator of the recent Barbican exhibition on Japanese fashion in London. One of the first to have a fashion dialogue with the East was the designer Paul Poiret, whose embroidered fur-trimmed kimono coat in Paris in 1911 made his fame and fortune. Here in Ireland, John Rocha’s native Chinese sensibility mixed with his adopted Irish homeland has energised traditional Irish craft and handwork.

But it was Yves St Laurent in 1977 with his haute couture collection inspired by 18th-century China, whose lovely satin kimonos and mandarin tunics in vibrant colours made a huge impact and controversially launched what became the brand’s best-selling perfume Opium.

With a 1970s revival fanning out again, many are revisiting that famous 1977 YSL collection as an opportune time to reconsider its impact. As the Chinese economy becomes a dominant world force, and next year is the Year of the Dragon, it pays, as someone once said, to be one leap ahead. There’s even a touch of Studio 54 and the disco glamour of the 1970s rocked into the look.

For this shoot in the spectacular Chinese Garden at Bloom, stylist Jan Brierton gets the fusion look with clothes drawn from vintage, high-street and designer labels, including an embroidered kimono from the early 1900s.

The IRE-SU garden, so called because it’s a collaboration between Suzhou, a city of six million people, close to Shanghai, and Ireland. The garden, based on ancient Suzhou courtyard gardens, will be reinstated in St Anne’s Park in Raheny next year. Suzhou has fashion as well as horticultural associations too, for it is also famous for wedding dresses and silks.

Behind the mask

The make-up look on these pages was created by Lesley Keane, senior artist for Mac cosmetics. Taking inspiration from such diverse sources as the beautiful oriental garden at Bloom, 1970s glamour, and the theatre of Kabuki, Keane has come up with a look that takes its lead from the traditional symbolism behind the mask, where dramatic make-up is a major part of the performance. Traditionally, the performers apply their own make-up in the following way: After oiling and waxing the skin, actors (always male) apply a thick white make-up base made from rice powder. Next, different shades of red dominate, denoting age, gender and class. Certain tones and symbols indicate personalities and moods. The make-up of Kabuki actors is so revered that often, at the end of a performance, an impression is taken on a silk cloth pressed to the face, and sold as a valued souvenir.

In the 1970s, artists such as David Bowie brought Kabuki techniques out of the theatre and into the charts and led the way for the flamboyant make-up trends of the decade.

Today’s look also referenced the album covers of that era, and although the result is more extreme on these pages, you can take out some of the key elements if you are liking this season’s oriental trend.

GET THE LOOK

Here Lesley Keane describes how she achieved the look for the shoot – and suggests how to tone it down to make it more street friendly.

Skin

“This look works better on paler skin, so abandon the bronzer and opt for a moisturised, milky look. I used Face and Body Foundation in white tone – this just lightens the skin one shade without it looking too theatrical. For setting, use an invisible powder such as Prep and Prime.”

Eyes

“For the shoot I used an orange pigment (from the professional range, available online from maccosmetics.co.uk), but if you want a more natural feel, try a coral eye shadow such as Samoa Silk, and instead of opting for a dramatic shape like I did, try a simple dusting on the lid and blending upwards, leaving the brow bone bare. A purple shadow (Fig) used in the eye socket created drama. For added definition try a rust coloured shadow called Rule – it’s amazing on blue eyes. Top with a liquid liner and wing it out at the edges. I used Boot Black as it is easy to apply and just glides on. Finally, apply some black mascara to the upper lashes. Studio Fix lash gives a clean, separated, voluminous lash line.”

Lips

“This season red is a must and Ruby Woo is the colour used here. If you don’t want such a full-on colour, try Lady Bug, a lustre lipstick with a just a stain of red added. Be brave and wear red with confidence.”

Kimono form and function

Though the kimono is quintessentially Japanese, today it is mostly worn for ceremonial occasions such as weddings and funerals. The garment once had a symbolic resonance. The length of the sleeve conveyed information about age and marital status, while patterns, colours and materials had associations with the seasons and the social status of the wearer.

Its long history shows the development of arcane methods of embroidery, dyeing and painting; many were elaborate works of art.

One of the most outstanding modern exponents of kimono art was the late Itchiku Kubota, famous for his astounding techniques and ability to modernise and innovate, redefining the kimono for the 21st century.

A book of his work ‘The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota’, published by Thames Hudson (£29.95/€35) presents 55 of his masterworks inspired by 16th century silks and besides being a history of the kimono, gives an insight into his artistic vision. D McQ