Basara Face

>> I know you guys are bored of my beginning a post with “I’m in Tokyo!” I have hear a loud collective *yawn* being emitted from the unknown outer galaxy of “readership”. But… but… I would argue that Tokyo with Dior is a completely different experience from my usual ramshackle second hand designer/vintage shopping trail interrupted by wolfed down meals of ramen and gyoza.

I’m here in Tokyo for the Dior’s first pre-fall show. The ties between Monsieur Dior and Japan have already been well emphasised in all the lovely printed paraphernalia and trinkets that were all laid out in my hotel room when I arrived. It’s all Hokusai paintings, Utamaru nudes and women walking daintily in geta sandals and kimonos. It’s the traditional Japan of most people’s imaginations as opposed to the one filled with kook and oddities that I normally encounter.

As we only have a few days here and there are many a Tokyo virgin in amongst our press group, I’ve somehow taken on the role as the unofficial guide. It’s like the blind leading the blind. It’s easy to impress though. A quick whizz through Shibuya scramble crossing, 109 and Tokyu Hands was enough to elicit “Ooohs” and “Aaahs”. Even I’ll get swept up in it from time to time, even though I have visited a ridiculous number of times (comparatively speaking anyway…). In the beauty section of Tokyu Hands, we all got a bit mesmerised by these printed face masks. Oh, the novelty! Want to look like Frankenstein or Dracula whilst your face is made supple with hydrolysed collagen and vitamin C derivative? I know it’s easy to exoticise everything here but honestly, this is definitely an instance of “Only in Japan…”

The one that piqued my interest though was the “Fashion Face Pack”, created by none other than Kansai Yamamoto. I instantly recognised the painted faces as the ones I photographed at the brilliant Fashion in Motion last year where, Yamamoto unleashed the ‘Basara’ spirit in London’s V&A Museum. Loosely meaning “out-there” or “slant”, the basara spirit is not for the faint hearted, even as I’m lounging in my hotel robe getting my face refreshed with lavender. Yamamoto’s ‘kumadori’ kabuki actor make-up flecked with clashing shades of ‘Japanese goldflower’ yellow, ‘pale chive’ blue and ‘willow leaf’ green is definitely one way of combatting flailing jeg-lagged faces. Or to make a lazy comparison, it makes you look vaguely like FKA Twigs LP1 album cover.

It’s one of those “Only in Japan” examples that you can’t help but love. An inactive fashion legend honoured by a beauty face mask? Why not? It’s certainly a different way of going about your beauty regime that I’d personally love to find in the aisles of Boots…