With the tartan warriors lining a walkway in the centre of high-ceiling almost ballroom-like setting, an exhibition was given to us of a clashing of print vs. material, modernity and traditional, with an essence of playfulness and humour. As an audience, we were led to see a story, with an end production of a running greeting us at the finish line - a scene of dancing females in their Shimada, playful and uncaring, as any young female should be.
The prints played on the idea of Twiggy-esque era, with accompanying white peter-pan collars, A-line hemlines and pea coat companions. In a twist away from nalstagia, our warriors were adorned in draped, well cut silhouettes, biker chic tarten jackets adding pencil skirt and flared pant stories. As if to show a nod towards the future, texture and style arose in the form of leather meeting wool, with several looks adding to the buyability of the collection.
The walk-through of the presentation gave the idea of telling a story, of past, present and future, of fashion history and cut, and how the classic symbol of tartan could be reworked in a fashion history manner, and how it could be modernised to dress the girl of the 21st century - maybe it is Shimada's traditional routes that made her think of a way in which a classic element could be reworked, maybe it was the want of bringing worldwide fashion to a city of such tradition and history that created the installation of tartan queens. But with scottish highland routes (note: highland dance shoes dressed every foot of our girls) meeting british London 60's, meeting Japanese draping, it is hard to say that Shimada is one dimensional.
The transformation of the old into the new, "Today better than yesterday and tomorrow less than today! I hate looking back to the past" Shimada could't be more true.
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