Dandyism, Decadence and a Taste of Rebellion at Junya Watanabe's Vision of Paris
PARIS (AP) — A new kind of dandy took over Junya Watanabe's runway on Friday — not the traditional gentleman, but a sharp-dressed rebel with a streak of punk at Paris Fashion Week.
Watanabe, the pioneering Japanese designer known for mixing classic tailoring with a wild, creative edge, unveiled a lineup of bold, offbeat looks at the Lycée Carnot. The show was sharp but rebellious, rich in history but full of energy. It wasn't about looking back. It was an explosion of new ideas.
Watanabe has built his reputation by smashing the line between elegance and rebellion. This season, he didn't just mix old and new, he turned history into a weapon. His spring men's collection borrowed from the past — rich brocades, jacquards and a hint of Rococo flair — but reimagined them with a bold, punk attitude. Jackets worthy of Venetian nobility were paired with rugged workwear and raw denim, creating looks that felt both grand and streetwise.
The music followed the same energy, starting with a traditional piano piece breaking down into a thumping city beat. Classic style was pulled apart and rebuilt right on the runway. Some outfits showed off sharp, careful tailoring, but the order quickly fell away — seams went crooked, sashes trailed loose, wild patterns took over. Even the ties broke free, knotted multiple times in ways that broke from tradition.
Despite the wild mix of styles, the show was more than just patchwork. Watanabe was making a statement about taste itself — a constant tug-of-war between old ideas and breaking the rules. Familiar touches — a monk's robe, the rooftops of Florence — were turned into clever fashion puzzles.
Throughout the collection, Watanabe's eye for detail and contradiction remained. He's known for boldly mixing sharp tailoring with street style, blending Japanese tradition with punk energy. This season, he sharpened that approach into clothes that were both smart and full of electricity, pieces that challenged the idea of what it means to dress well.
By the end, the dandy wasn't just a gentleman —he was sharper, braver, both thinker and rebel.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
4 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Dandyism, Decadence and a Taste of Rebellion at Junya Watanabe's Vision of Paris
PARIS (AP) — A new kind of dandy took over Junya Watanabe's runway on Friday — not the traditional gentleman, but a sharp-dressed rebel with a streak of punk at Paris Fashion Week. Watanabe, the pioneering Japanese designer known for mixing classic tailoring with a wild, creative edge, unveiled a lineup of bold, offbeat looks at the Lycée Carnot. The show was sharp but rebellious, rich in history but full of energy. It wasn't about looking back. It was an explosion of new ideas. Watanabe has built his reputation by smashing the line between elegance and rebellion. This season, he didn't just mix old and new, he turned history into a weapon. His spring men's collection borrowed from the past — rich brocades, jacquards and a hint of Rococo flair — but reimagined them with a bold, punk attitude. Jackets worthy of Venetian nobility were paired with rugged workwear and raw denim, creating looks that felt both grand and streetwise. The music followed the same energy, starting with a traditional piano piece breaking down into a thumping city beat. Classic style was pulled apart and rebuilt right on the runway. Some outfits showed off sharp, careful tailoring, but the order quickly fell away — seams went crooked, sashes trailed loose, wild patterns took over. Even the ties broke free, knotted multiple times in ways that broke from tradition. Despite the wild mix of styles, the show was more than just patchwork. Watanabe was making a statement about taste itself — a constant tug-of-war between old ideas and breaking the rules. Familiar touches — a monk's robe, the rooftops of Florence — were turned into clever fashion puzzles. Throughout the collection, Watanabe's eye for detail and contradiction remained. He's known for boldly mixing sharp tailoring with street style, blending Japanese tradition with punk energy. This season, he sharpened that approach into clothes that were both smart and full of electricity, pieces that challenged the idea of what it means to dress well. By the end, the dandy wasn't just a gentleman —he was sharper, braver, both thinker and rebel.
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Bespoke Bash for a Billionaire: Jeff Bezos Weds Lauren Sánchez in Lavish Venice Ceremony
VENICE, Italy (AP) — The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who have traveled into space — and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Friday. One of the world's most enchanting cities as backdrop? Check. Star-studded guestlist and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavor? You bet. And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night, and Sánchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man. It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land. Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall. Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colorful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialized as of Friday. Instead, the glitterati were partying, and the paparazzi jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. And the bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look. 'Not just a gown, a piece of poetry,' she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Logistics and costs Venice is famed for its network of canals, where gondoliers croon for lovestruck couples and even ambulances are aquatic. But water transport of everything from bouquets to guests makes Venice among the world's most challenging cities for a party, according to Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel advisory and destination event service. 'It's a very tight-knit community; everyone there knows everyone, and you need to work with the right people,' said Ezon, whose company has put on a dozen high-end events in Venice. 'There's very tight control, especially on movement there with boats.' It at least triples the cost versus staging the same soiree in Rome or Florence, he said. Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia was first to give an estimated tally for the Bezos/Sánchez bash: He told reporters this week the most recent total he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros (up to $56 million). It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping figure that's over 1,000 times the $36,000 average cost of American couples' weddings in 2025, according to wedding planning website Zola's annual report. Bezos' team has been tight-lipped about where these millions are going. When the youngest son of Asia's richest man married last July, performances by pop stars Rihanna and Justin Bieber pushed up the price tag. 'How do you spend $40 million on a three- or four-day event?' Ezon said. 'You could bring headliners, A-list performers, great DJs from anywhere in the world. You could spend $2 million on an incredible glass tent that's only there for 10 hours, but it takes a month to build,' or expand the celebration to local landmarks. There's no sign Sánchez and Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, intend to take over any of Venice's tourist-thronged hotspots. Still, intense hand-wringing about the prospect prompted their wedding coordinator, Lanza & Baucina, to issue a rare statement calling those rumors false. On Friday afternoon, Sánchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St. Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony Friday night. Bezos followed two hours later. Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera. Vogue magazine, to which the couple granted exclusive access, reported that the Dolce & Gabbana-designed gown took 900 hours to complete. Inspired by Sophia Loren's wedding dress in the 1958 film Houseboat, it featured high-necked, hand-appliqued lace and 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons. 'No Space' There are some who say these two shouldn't have been wed in this city. They characterize the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change. 'Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there,' Stella Faye, a researcher at a university from Venice, said on Friday. About a dozen Venetian organizations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight. Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St. Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash. Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought. 'There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony,' Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè, told the AP. 'All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs, hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.' Philanthropy As Amazon's CEO, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today he has a net worth of $234 billion, according to Forbes. In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sánchez, a former TV news anchor. Sánchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos' divorce was finalized. He stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives. Sitting beside Sánchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an 'important donation.' CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests. Local media have reported a reception Saturday in the Arsenale, a former navy base best known as a primary venue for the Venice Biennale.
SoraNews24
6 hours ago
- SoraNews24
The Hayao Miyazaki anime we never got – New art book reveals Ghibli legend's unrealized concepts
Latest volume in Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Series traces the pre-history of Nausicaa, with over 50 never-before-seen Hayao Miyazaki illustrations. In 2024, Japanese publisher Iwamani Shoten began releasing its Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Series line. Each volume is filled with amazing artwork drawn by the legendary anime director, and with the fourth book in the series just about to go sale, the cover has been revealed. There's no mistaking Miyazaki's artistic style, with soft, almost abstract linework nonetheless being used to convey a wealth of small details, and coloring that's expressive and eye-catching without any garishly harsh contrasts. But while most anime enthusiasts can recognize the aesthetics, even the biggest Studio Ghibli fans are probably scratching their heads trying to figure out who the character on the book's cover is. Her outfit sort of looks like something Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's heroine would wear. That's just it, though: it looks like something she would wear, but nowhere in her film does Nausicaa wear this costume. That's not quite Princess Mononoke's San, either, plus that movie had wolves, not a dog like the one in the illustration above. The new book, titled Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Series-Nausicaa Prehistory, is a collection of nearly 200 pieces of Miyazaki-drawn artwork, including 58 that have never been shown before, which the famed artist drew before Nausicaa went into production or Studio Ghibli was formed. Miyazaki may have become the most lauded and respected figure in the history of Japanese animation, but that success didn't come overnight, nor did every idea he had materialize in completed anime form. In fact, even after the extremely positive response to Miyazaki's first effort as a theatrical feature director, Castle of Cagliostro , won him praise in 1979, it wouldn't be until 1984 that he directed his second anime movie, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind . Miyazaki wasn't just twiddling his thumbs for those five years, however. While working on a variety of anime TV series and teaching animation techniques at anime studio Telecom Animation Films, Miyazaki continued to draw characters and develop concept art on his own, something he'd been doing since even before his work on Cagliostro . Eventually, it was his story and art concepts for Nausicaa that convinced anime magazine Animage to run it as a serialized manga, with parent company Tokuma Shoten eventually bankrolling its theatrical anime adaptation and Miyazaki using its success a springboard to co-founding Studio Ghibli. Iwanami Shoten describes the book as 'tracing the 10 years leading to the birth' of Nausicaa, and it includes, among other things, Miyazaki's drawings for his imagined adaptation of American comic artist Richard Corben's Rowlf, which unfortunately never made it past the early rights-negotiation stages. In that sense, looking through the pages of Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Series-Nausicaa Prehistory will be a little bittersweet, as in some ways it's a brief glimpse at the Miyazaki anime that could have been, but with an artist of his caliber, even a glimpse is something for fans to be happy about. And who knows? Since Miyazaki hasn't said he's officially retired, maybe some of the concepts in the book will end up making their way to the movie screen after all. The 192-page Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Series-Nausicaa Prehistory goes on sale July 8, priced at 6,000 yen (US$41), and can be ordered through Amazon Japan here. Source, images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
