Can you believe it’s already day three? Tokyo Fashion Week is flying by, and I’ve barely had time to wrap my head around it. After forgetting my charger yesterday, I double and triple checked to make sure that I had everything I needed for the busy day ahead. For those of you who have been asking, my essentials for surviving fashion week are as follows: chargers of all varieties, pocket wifi to write on the go, equal parts water and coffee, and waterproof black eyeliner.

Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

The menswear takeover of fashion week continued on Ato’s runway––the first show of the day. Ato, designed by Ato Matsumoto, is an international label that was first established back in ‘93. Named one of the ‘50 Greatest Japanese Brands of All Time’ by Complex and coveted by Kanye West, Ato is one of the most sought after menswear brands, and one of the industry’s best kept secrets.

Boys at Ato Lereport.com lilygatins@gmail.com #lilygatins # lereport #ato #fashionshow @mbfwtokyo #TokyoFashionWeek #AW15 #fw15 #Tokyo #japan

A video posted by Lily Gatins (@lereport) on Mar 18, 2015 at 4:41pm PDT

The marriage of high fashion with urban street style was apparent in the leather trousers, double zip hoodies, and Ato’s signature sneakers that ranged from low top to midcalf. Floppy hats, funnel necks, and long black trenchcoats have been a fall staple for the last two years, but were given an update with Ato’s play on proportions. Even though this collection was strictly menswear, I wouldn’t mind having all of these pieces in my own wardrobe.

Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

Next stop Tenbo. All feel good vibes, bright colors, and giant wigs––basically everything that those who were disappointed by the “normal” clothes shown during the week wanted to see. While Tenbo’s clothing was showstopping, the real runway standouts were the models.

Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

Tenbo gave everyone a break from the stick-thin, serious modeling world and sent out models of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds; and all with real smiles to match. Among the diverse cast of models was a model in a wheelchair, a blind model, and paralympic athletes-turned-models with prosthetic limbs. After Tokyo Fashion Week came under fire for its painfully obvious lack of diversity earlier this week, Tenbo’s runway was a very welcome change. Definitely one of my favorite shows of the season.

I have a million emails and phone calls to return, so I’m keeping today’s post short. Check back tomorrow for more from Tokyo Fashion Week and be sure to follow @FashionOneTelevision on Instagram for real time runway coverage xo

Day one of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week has come to a close, and I’m still wrapping my head around the whirlwind of street style, runways, and free champagne that it brought with it.

The day started with a much needed espresso and Sretsis’ Autumn Winter 2015-16 collection. Sretsis is based in Thailand and is known for its whimsical, girly designs that have been given a stamp of approval by everyone from actress Zooey Deschanel and icon Beyonce––just to name a few. With Stretsis’ reputation in mind, I had high expectations. As everyone was being seated, the excited murmuring grew louder and louder in anticipation for the Sretsis runway. Then, out of nowhere, the room went dark and out came the first model in a teddy bear coat and matching teddy bear heels.

Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

The runway-turned-labyrinth was lined with colorful florals that were more appropriate for spring than autumn, but it lent beautifully to the Alice in Wonderland follow-me-down-the-rabbit-hole vibe. The clothes were whimsical as expected, with floor length chiffon floral dresses, stuffed animal fox and rabbit stoles, and Little Red Riding Hood-esque capes. The labyrinth was soundtracked by pop-folk music, including one of my all-time favorite artists, Devendra Banhart. Swoon~

starting the week right with glitter, foxes, and all of my favorite things @sretsisofficial #tokyo #tokyofashionweek #sretsisaw15

A photo posted by Stephanie P. (@efemmere) on Mar 15, 2015 at 7:29pm PDT

The finale was just as fantastical as the rest of the show, with confetti falling from the ceiling as all of Sretsis’ models-turned-storybook characters stood on the runway––a perfect ending to their fairy tale showing.

Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

The best moment of the show, however, were the two children dressed as a rabbit and a fox. The audience was unable to suppress their ‘awws’ and ‘kawaiis’. I have to admit, even I cracked a smile. The mini models were Hugo and Beni.

parisienne pirate vibes on the #byU runway #tokyofashionweek #wwdjfw #tokyo

A photo posted by Stephanie P. (@efemmere) on Mar 16, 2015 at 5:37pm PDT

My next runway stop was byU’s AW 15-16 show. Designed by Hiroki Uemura, byU is a new label––first launched in 2014––that is based in Japan. According to the brand’s profile, their clothes can be described as, “Cute clothes for mature women, emphasizing the cute and stylish visuals,” that aim to, “Offer mixed coordination for women with mental and social maturity, to let out the feminine taste sleeping within them.”

Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

Luxe furs paired with floppy hats and loose trousers gave way to ample amounts of frill, lace dresses, and industrial parkas; all of which created a Parisienne lady meets pirate lovechild effect.

Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Tokyo Fashion Week

My final stop for the evening was IISER LOEN’s AW 15-16 menswear collection. IISER LOEN is also a new label on the scene. Launched in 2014, the menswear label is designed by Koji Tezuka and is focused on the concept of the “new age of dandyism”. Slouchy knit sweaters paired with ultra-tailored pants were the uniform for Tezuka’s collection.

With day one wrapped up, this writer is in desperate need of a disco nap. For more exclusive coverage of Tokyo Fashion Week, keep your eyes on Fashion One!

This week I had the pleasure of visiting the Donna Ida store on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia to shoot for the store’s fabulous online Style Insider.

I would be creating my top SS15 looks and putting together outfits that reflected my favorite trends of the season. With London Fashion Week and other runways finishing just a few weeks ago, it was the perfect time to put the shoot together.

The store on Elizabeth Street is simply beautiful. With rails upon rails of designer brands to choose from, I actually had a really hard time narrowing it down to 3 looks. So hard, in fact, that I couldn’t go below 5 outfits! With the sun beginning to peek out and the weather slowly warming, I decided to go for a ‘White Summer Story’ as my theme to get really into SS15 and showcase one of this year’s biggest trends, white denim.

A lot of people can be afraid of wearing white denim, but I wanted to show how easy it is to incorporate it into your wardrobe and also just how great it looks. You can really have fun with denim and instead of going for the usual indigo jean I wanted to mix it up a bit for summer. I can’t show you the looks prior to the Style Insider release but I can give you a hint that there is one showstopper – a jumpsuit that is just AMAZING! A serious wardrobe must have.

I had a really fun interview with Donna the ‘Jean Queen’ and chatted about her take on the ultimate shopping experience and her true love for denim. She really is an amazing woman and I can’t wait to share the whole experience with you on Fashion One.

Just last week we reported that Tokyo was taking over New York Fashion Week, and this week Japan is stealing the show from Paris. While New York Fashion Week celebrated new and emerging talent, Paris Fashion Week brought out the big guns. International favorites and world renowned labels Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto, and Commes des Garçons were all in attendance.

A model gets her makeup done backstage at Yohji Yamamoto.

Givenchy may have made headlines for it’s bold facial jewelry and Valentino may have made headlines for the return of Zoolander, but Japanese designers stole the show with their collective conceptual, out-of-the-box designs.

Junya Watanabe #style #fashion #fashionweek #pfw #parisfashionweek #mfw #milanfashionweek #lfw #londonfashionweek #nyfw #junyawatanabe

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀vintagefiendstylequeen (@vintagefiendstylequeen) on Mar 10, 2015 at 9:40pm PDT

Junya Watanabe sent down breathtaking sculptural designs inspired by honeycombs and fractals, pairing the avant-garde with ultra wearable collared shirts and maryjane brogues. Commes des Garçons sent out larger than life billowing cocoons––fitting as the designer, Rei Kawakubo, stated the fluctuating balance between life and death as her inspiration.

#Sacai #pfw

A photo posted by The Business of Fashion (@bof) on Mar 9, 2015 at 7:13am PDT

Yohji Yamamoto on the other hand went a more deconstructed route with his collection and sent out one of the most talked about makeup looks of the season. Draped sweater dresses with oversized black blazers were worn with dramatic, asymmetrical makeup. Labels Undercover and Sacai, though the most wearable out of the entire group, still blew Paris away with unexpected, handmade knits and reimagined varsity jackets.

Givenchy’s fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection was inarguably stunning. The structured power suits were awe-inspiring while the velvet midi dresses are guaranteed to be on every girl’s must-have list next season. While the clothing was enviable and lived up to the high expectations, the real standout of Givenchy’s ready-to-wear presentation were the models’ beauty looks. Slicked back baby hairs and in your face septums and facial piercings had audience members craning their necks for a better view.

A photo posted by GIVENCHY (@givenchyofficial) on Mar 9, 2015 at 1:28am PDT

When asked about this look, Riccardo Tisci, creative director at Givenchy, gave a quote to Vogue saying that the girl in his collection is, “Chola Victorian. She’s the boss of the gang.” The quote has since then become widely circulated, along with praise for Tisci’s ‘cool’ and ‘deep’ interpretation of youth culture. One thing the press has failed to mention, however, is Tisci’s problematic use of the term ‘chola’.

The word ‘chola’ has been a part of mainstream vernacular for decades, but originated in the 1800s. It was first used to describe those who identified as a mixed raced person of Latin American or Indian descent and was later used to refer to low income Mexican immigrants until it was adopted by Latino gangs in the 70s––the use that is most widely known today.

A photo posted by GIVENCHY (@givenchyofficial) on Mar 9, 2015 at 3:18am PDT

So what’s the problem? Tisci is just the latest designer to appropriate a minority culture for the sake of high fashion, and the world is letting him get away with it. According to Refinery 29 out of over 40 models that walked in Tisci’s show, Joan Smalls was the only model of Latin descent to walk. This gross under representation of the hispanic culture that Tisci is claiming is just the tip of the iceberg. Notable and highly respected industry experts are lauding this blatant misappropriation and sweeping the entire issue under the rug.

Nicole Phelps, a reviewer on Style.com, wrote, “‘Victorian-chola girl,’ is how [Tisci] described the collection, and, as usual, it was a deeply personal trip.” How can the collection be deeply personal if Tisci has never been a ‘chola girl’? And why tone down––or let’s face it, whiten––the reference with the use of ‘victorian’.

A photo posted by GIVENCHY (@givenchyofficial) on Mar 9, 2015 at 1:06am PDT

Phelps goes on to write, “As an Italian, Tisci has always had a thing for Latin archetypes. The California chola girl qualifies,” otherwise saying that being Italian somehow excuses him from appropriating a significant part of Latin culture.

This is not to say that Tisci or anyone who appropriates under represented cultures is ignorant. In fact, Tisci has a history of promoting diversity in the often two dimensional world of fashion. According to The Guardian, he was the first designer to embrace Kim Kardashian’s natural curves and has been an avid supporter of transgender model Lea T’s career.

The problem at hand is taking a minority culture and displaying it for consumption by the masses incorrectly, and without blame. How do 40 models of non-Hispanic descent represent chola culture? While I am not Latina, as someone who is a part of a minority culture I can still sympathize with, and recognize, being incorrectly and under represented by the media. I’m all for girl gangs and the positive portrayal of youth culture, but if you’re going to stake a claim to something at least do it right.