48 SEPTEMBER 2019 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
INSIDER INTEL
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Over-the-top colors are the
norm for Tomo Koizumi this
year; Bella Hadid on the Fall
2019 runway; Koizumi himself
displays a more low-key look.COURTESY OF TOMO KOIZUMI (3)Chinese couturier behind Rihanna’s
iconic saffron cape in 2015, Koizumi
is one of the rare talents to showcase
his work both on the red carpet and
in the corresponding exhibition.
When I meet him at the Tokyo
apartment that doubles as his studio,
the room is chockablock with
rainbow-hued gowns in various
stages of completion. Each bespoke,
hand-sewn garment is very much a
labor of love—a delirious fabric
fantasia brought to life through
hours of meticulous work. His
aesthetic draws on everything from
Alexander McQueen to Sailor Moon,
yet manages to feel entirely original.
“I try to do haute couture in my
own way,” Koizumi says. “My
designs are very feminine, but I
believe that femininity can be edgy
at the same time.”EVEN TOMO KOIZUMI can’t quite
believe the year he’s having. In
February, he watched as
supermodels including Bella Hadid
and Karen Elson strutted down
runways at New York Fashion Week
wearing his designs. At the 2019 Met
Ball, while co-host Lady Gaga was
flouncing up the stairs in a
billowing, hot pink satin number
and Katy Perry was vamping it up as
a human chandelier, Vog u e Th ail an d
contributing editor Nichapat Suphap
was turning heads in a cascade of
pastel ruffles Koizumi created
especially for the event. The theme,
of course, was camp, and the
Japanese designer’s spectacularly
over-the-top style was a perfect fit
for both the exhibit Camp: Notes on
Fashion and the celebratory gala.
Along with Guo Pei, the legendaryTo k yo D r e a m i n g
Fashion designer Tomo Koizumi pauses from his breakout year to
share some of his favorite places to shop in the Japanese capital,
stops that inspire him every day. BY DIANA HUBBELL