2011年11月5日（土）表参道・青山・原宿を中心に開催された「FASHION’S NIGHT OUT」、今年は3月11日に起きた東日本大震災の影響で開催時期を11月に変更したほか、通常23時までの時間を、節電のため午後2時より始まり7時間後の午後9時に幕を閉じたのだった。
あのアナ・ウィンターをはじめ、各国の編集長がこの日のために来日したほか、クリスヴァンアッシュ、トム・ブラウン、ロベルト・カヴァリ、マイケル・コース、クリストファー・ベイリー、キム・ジョーンズと多くのデザイナーたちもこぞって上陸。待ちいく人たちは何かに期待し既に興奮状態。それこそ、アナ・ウィンターが言うように、セレブリティを一目見ようと街に繰り出す人もファッションキッズ、リミテッドエディションを探し求めお気に入りのブランドに足を向ける人。
トウキョウダンディは、まずジェレミー・スコットやKTZを取り扱うFALINE TOKYOに足を運んでみた。オーガニックフード＆シャンパンを並べ奇麗にディスプレイされたFALINE店内では、U & REIKOがお出迎え。FALINEを後にキャットストリート周辺で石焼き芋を注文するモデルの紗羅マリーに遭遇。おもわずなパシャリ。その後は、Marc by Marc JacobsにComme des Garçons, Rag & Bone, Louis Vuitton, PRADA, Y-3, Marc Jacobs, FENDI, Dior Homme … といった流れで。ラストのディオールでは、AMBUSH® DESIGNでご存知ビジュアル・ディレクターのYOONによるDJで店内は熱気で溢れかえっていた。彼女の隣にはボリューミーなブロンドヘアの奈良裕也。このひダントツ目立っていたのはこの2人。同ビル地下1階では、先行生産した30個限定のレザーブレスレットにサインをするクリスの姿が。購入頂いた方のみクリス本人からサインを頂けるという特別企画。クリス好きにはたまらない貴重な一時。午後7時を過ぎた4階フロアでは、クリス・ペプラーを司会にちょっとしたトークショーが開催された。コンデナスト・インターナショナル、ジョナサン・ニューハウスに仏VOGUE編集長エマニュエル・アルト、トルコVOGUE編集長セダ・ドマニク、ニコラ・フォルミケッティ、クリスヴァンアッシュ、そして日本を代表するモデル・富永愛に土屋アンナらによるFNOの感想など。会場は雑誌関係者やメディアの方でごった返していた。ブライアン・ボーイ（BryanBoy）の姿もね。
Started by Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine in 2009, the aim of Fashion’s Night Out was to get customers back into stores and excited about shopping after the 2008 economic crisis. This year, due to the Natural Disasters that hit Japan it was decided to move the night back to allow for Vogue editors and designers from around the world to attend the event in Tokyo. There were plenty of big names in town but we decided just to visit just a couple of stores that we really like… we knew it was going to be a long night.
We began at FALINE, a Harajuku icon and somewhere more grass roots than the big global brands which have actually been doing very well this past couple of years. Walking towards Omotesando we ran into Singer and model Sara-Mary buying a sweet potato looking fine in her Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. The people at Marc Jacobs have always been good to us so Marc by Marc was our first stop. We were too early to catch Yone who was at the store later in the evening to photograph the shoppers but we still enjoyed having a look around, the LOLA display reminding us of the launch party earlier this Summer (See the photos from OH LOLA! here).
Keeping things in the Marc Jacobs family we next went to Louis Vuitton where I was really looking forward to seeing the ‘Kyoto Story’ photographed by Miles Aldrige and starring Tominaga Ai. The specially commissioned photographs were available for sale through a silent auction, when we were there Condé Nast Japan’s President Kitada-san was making the first bid. As we were in the building we headed up to the beautiful Louis Vuitton Espace Gallery space, currently exhibiting ‘Geometry Of Light’ by Alyson Shotz (Espace Louis Vuitton website).
Next at PRADA for the most visually arresting spectacle of the evening, an army of PRADA mannequins, one in this seasons collection the others facing the other way in vintage PRADA. It was surreal, and the iconic Aoyama store provided the perfect back drop. Just behind Prada is the award winning Marc Jacobs store where we had the best drink of the night, a Belvedere fruit punch. It’s here we ran into Bryan Boy for the first time in ages, I photographed him with our friends the Morimoto twins.
Just around the corner from Marc Jacobs is the Y-3 store, a beautiful space, they were showing the Yohji Yamamoto Documentary ‘This is My Dream’ on the second floor of the store. The rare look at the usually reserved Yamamoto, the DVD of the film is on sale as a special package together with a scented candle. Leaving the store we ran into Anna Della Russo who we last met a year ago in New York. I hear she curated the Prada installation but I forgot to ask. Outside FENDI model Liv was attracting customers whilst holding one of the Yellow flowers being offered as a gift to shoppers.
We made it to Christian Dior in time to catch the end of Peli’s set. Dior Homme Designer Kris Van Assche signed specially made leather cuffs for fans. He summed up the evening at a talk show on the 4th floor of the Dior building later when he said that ‘Japan has given a lot to fashion and this was the opportunity for fashion to give something back’. He was joined by Model Tominaga Ai, Tsuchiya Anna, Nicola Formichetti, French Vogue Editor Emanuelle Alt, Chairman of Condé Nast International Jonathan Newhouse and Editor in Chief of Turkish Vogue Seda Domanic to talk about how they had joined the evening. Back down stairs and YOON had transformed the Christian Dior boutique into a high fashion night club. We headed over to Omotesando Hills where Verbal played for an energetic crowd, it was hard to believe this was a shopping centre at 8.30 pm not a club at 2am. The Ambassadors of Fashions Night Out took to the stage to close what was definitely the biggest and best night of the event so far.
Fashion’s night out 2011 was a huge success. It’s easy to write off fashion as superfluous and materialistic but that would be to miss the point. I know of no other industry which has been able to bring people together like this, the energy in the air in Tokyo was palpable, people were really enjoying themselves. Stores had gone out of their way to create interactive experiences for customers and the line-up of International Designers who had come to Tokyo was really quite touching. A lot of the proceeds from limited edition items produced for the night are going to charities thst support those affected by the March disaster. We feel honored to be part of a community with so many genuinely nice people. It was great to meet so many people that night that appreciate our independent spirit and we feel inspired to do more.
After a lovely dinner with some of our favorite Tokyoites we went to DJ at a small private party to celebrate designer Kim Jones appointment as Menswear Creative Director for Louis Vuitton. After us it was Kims turn on the decks where he was joined by Hidetoshi Nakata and Yoon. The action soon moved to the karaoke room upstairs where lots of fun was had, a great way to end a fantastic evening.
そして、12時より開催されたルイ・ヴィトンのシークレットパーティ。トランプハウスを会場にルイ・ヴィトンのメンズ・ディレクター、キム・ジョーンズのためのお祝いパーティとでも言わせて頂こう。こちらもなんとも言えない盛り上がりをみせ、会場にはキムのために勢揃いしたルイ・ヴィトンチームに、イベントを盛り上げるパーティキッズまでもが。DJブースにはVERBAL & YOON, YUYA NARA & SAHICKO, KIM そして、中田英寿氏の姿までもが。