Time out with Tadashi
When I heard that Tadashi Shoji was coming to Manila to present his latest collection, I wanted to jump for joy because he is one of my favorite international designers. Not only was he showing up for his own fashion launch to benefit the Philippine Red Cross, he was also coming to my house for a casual, home-cooked dinner so he could relax after a hectic schedule.
Having always been a Tadashi fan, I love his designs that make a woman look elegant, classy and always appropriately dressed for various social occasions. Women are secure knowing they will be properly attired, looking their feminine best as his creations feature a lot of draping and ruching that easily flatters the wearer’s assets and hides whatever flaws are best left hidden. No wonder he is a favorite of international socialites and movie stars the world over.
During the cocktails hosted by Rustan’s, the dynamic Reggie Aguinaldo introduced me to the soft-spoken, slim and hip-looking 64-year-old Japanese-born fashion genius and I proudly pointed out that I was wearing a six-year-old Tadashi purple print chiffon gown that I still get to use at least a couple of times a year.
For the dinner in my home, we had a variety of dishes including a healthy fresh vegetable lumpia, Reggie’s pièce de rèsistance, seafood paella, a crispy cochinillo and desserts, which he ate with gusto. When offered wine or champagne, he declined and opted for a glass of freshly blended pineapple juice. Curious, I asked if he didn’t like to drink and he replied that he loved it but was warned by his doctor that if he wanted to remain healthy he had to refrain from alcohol. Hmm... I think I stopped drinking an extra glass of champagne after that remark.
This fashion giant made me feel at home in my own house and gamely recounted that he was drawn to art even as a young child in Sendai, Japan. His parents were supportive of his creative tendencies and his older sister was a fashion designer, but he wanted to be a conceptual artist, a movement that was blossoming in the early ’60s.
Moving to the US to expose himself to modern art, Tadashi realized that contemporary art was not then a lucrative profession and took up fashion design in Los Angeles. This was a first step towards his life-long passion of making beautiful clothes and his professional career started while still a student when he was taken in as an assistant to Bill Whitten, the famed costume designer who dressed numerous A-list artists of that era: Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Neil Diamond, The Commodores, Jackson Five, etc. Those were the flamboyant ’70s with polished glamour oozing from every stitch.
From then on, each career move took him further up the fashion industry ladder. When he realized that women had narrow options for ready-to-wear special occasion dresses he launched the 1982 Tadashi Shoji line and won rave reviews when he started the Tadashi Runway Collection in New York’s Fashion Week in 2007. He now presents his collection 12 times a year with 40 dresses per show and carried by over 4,000 stores worldwide including our very own Rustan’s. When I asked him how he could stay creative with so many shows yearly, he jokingly said he has to crack a whip for his assistants to come up with various ideas.
This man is full of common sense as he is not only the talent of his own fashion line but doubles as the entrepreneur-owner of the Tadashi Shoji fashion empire. He shared simple insights on how he runs his company, such as: “In business, if you fall down, rise up and start again. Just make sure you learn from your mistakes and keep on going.”
One of his favorite places is Bali with the myriad scenery changes of that colorful, magical island and loves the warm, humid weather of the tropics because, growing up in Sendai, he had too much of the cold wintry weather.
After dinner, Tadashi lingered to chat until he was reminded that he had a plane to catch the next morning to go to Boracay so he would be able to recharge and relax for a few days. He then proceeds to Shanghai where he has a successful string of stores, manufactures his own handmade fabrics with special designs for his growing Chinese clientele and visits St. Petersburg to gain inspiration for his next collection. I am positive that Tadashi’s dresses will always be in demand since his keen eye and creative juices are continuously flowing with wonderful ideas that make us want to wear his dresses over and over again.
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