Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Vintage Designer: Hanae Mori




A Hanae Mori ad from Vogue, 1976


When I'm not updating La Poubelle Vintage, my internet time is usually spent trolling Pinterest, Etsy or an infinite number of other sites, oogling lovely clothes and expanding my vintage knowledge. In doing so, I came across the Japanese designer Hanae Mori and was instantly smitten. The story behind her brand is pretty cool as well. According to the Vintage Fashion Guild, Mori was a small-time fashion designer who had married the son of a wealthy textile manufacturer. Mori happened to meet Coco Chanel while on vacation in 1960 and was so inspired by her, that she decided to expand her business and focus on haute couture. Her first collection was launched in 1965 and went on to be carried in high-end department stores and become a favorite of Japanese royalty. Her pieces are definitely Japanese influenced but they also have a bohemian goddess vibe that I love. I am really enamored of her beautiful printed silk fabrics and kimono-like dresses and caftans. Unfortunately, Mori's last collection was in 2004 but luckily there are plenty of photos of her pieces online. Here are some of my favorites.