WEARING a multicolored gingham suit of his own design, Tadashi Shoji excitedly welcomed guests to his first shop in the Philippines, at the second level of Rustan’s Makati.
The boutique is 80 square meters of stark white space enlivened by his colorful eveningwear, cocktail dresses, shapewear and children’s clothes.
“I don’t know about if this is the perfect time or not to open a shop here, but it’s been too late for me because 24 years we have been selling at Rustan’s,” the Japanese-American designer smiled. So next year will be the brand’s silver anniversary in the country. “We have no plans for any events yet. We just did a show as part of the Rustan’s 65th celebrations last year.”
Tadashi has a strong following in the beauty pageant world for his elegant eveningwear, having been a sponsor at Miss Universe, and at awards shows for his all-embracing silhouettes, having dressed Mo’Nique (Precious, 2009) and Octavia Spencer (The Help, 2011) when they received their Oscars for Best Supporting Actress.
“I don’t always attend fittings [of celerity clients]. But if I’m not there, a staff will be there, like a patternmaker,” he explained. “Everybody asks me for a wish list of who I would like to dress up. I don’t have that. Anyone who comes in and who wants to wear my dress, I’m so blessed.”
Tadashi has also had the good fortune of having great opportunities during his early struggling years of making it as a designer in America. When still a student at Los Angeles Trade Technical School (he had to enroll to get a student visa because his tourist visa was expiring), he was offered an assistant position with Bill Whitten.
Whitten was designing costumes for rock legends such as Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie and Elton John. He was the one who created the Moonwalk look of Michael Jackson—the single rhinestone glove, ankle-high black pants and white socks with loafers.
Tadashi also worked with the dreaded fashion designer-turned-critic Richard Blackwell, a.k.a. Mr. Blackwell. He was notorious for his annual “Ten Worst-Dressed” lists, with jabs at Cher (“a million beads and one overexposed derriere”) and Martha Stewart (“dull, dowdy and devastatingly dreary”), to name a few.
These enviable, hands-on experiences with fashion and celebrity have forged Tadashi’s brand DNA of “beauty, ease and enchantment.” The Tadashi Woman, his lookbook says, is a “minimalist in boredom and a maximalist in the joy of living.” She is also “ever bold and unapologetic,” and “her confidence is the source of her beauty.” Tadashi satisfies a woman’s “dreamlike desire” for dresses.
The boutique at Rustan’s carries the Fall/Winter 2018 collection shown at New York Fashion Week in February (as shown in the photographs in this space, I didn’t stay for the social hobnobbing later that evening where our models wore the same clothes at a fashion show).
“We do two runway shows in New York—for Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. But we do four photoshoots, for the two seasons plus the Resort and Cruise collections,” Tadashi said, showing off the dresses on display made of jersey sequins, stretch sequins, embroidery, lace, some fringe. There are also clutches, which are favored by Anjelica Huston and Laverne Cox.
The dresses on display are for svelte women, much like Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori from Japan, the last winner that wore Tadashi. But the brand offers democratic dressing for women such as Octavia Spencer. This must be something that Tadashi imbibed from Blackwell, who dressed full-figured women such as Jayne Mansfield and Jane Russell.
Paris Jackson wears Tadashi. “She is young and petite,” the designer emphasized. “We dress all different sizes, all ages, all nationalities. I don’t categorize myself as a young girl’s designer or an old lady’s designer. That, I think, is better for me.”
That philosophy works for the brand, as it sees an expanding presence in Southeast Asia, South America and South Africa. “[Also] in Europe—not in Italy or France—but in Spain, Germany, Scandinavia. We are in 40 countries,” Tadashi beamed.
“We have an agreement in Rustan’s. If they want to open another store, it’s merrier,” he smiled. What makes you loyal to Rustan’s? “Because for 24 years, they’ve been loyal to us, so I am loyal to them. This is a give-and-take business relationship.”
Tadashi Shoji can’t define what is Japanese about his style.
“People ask me that because I’m Japanese, do I have Japanese-ness to my designs? More I think in work ethic and how to make dresses. I don’t want to cheat people,” he explained, saying his dresses are priced fairly, at P20,000 to P40,000, more affordable than those of Filipino designers’. “When they see a $500 dress, when they wear it, they feel comfortable, they look good and beautiful. It makes them happy. So that’s a real bargain. That’s the kind of value I give. That’s the Japanese-ness, the value for money. That’s more than style.”