Having fun with fabric

Japanese fashion is often less about entertainment and more about amazing material.

Wood fashioned into lace and sculpted into evening dresses: The Hanae Mori Manuscrit label led the way this Tokyo Fashion Week in showing the world the original craftsmanship that helps set Japan apart from the crowd. Dresses of persimmon-wood lace paired with soft falling black fabric were the star of the show at designer Yu Amatsu's autumn/winter 2017 collection for the brand that left fashionistas giddy with excitement.

Discs of chestnut and walnut were used on a dress of interlocking triangular panels, homage to Issey Miyake's iconic Bao Bao bag, while wood was fashioned into sleeve ties and delicate butterfly hair pieces.