There's a reason they call them "drag QUEENS" not empress

Well our royal fashion parade has come to an end with the Japanese empress walking the social runway in London. Note the kimono-esq suit - nice but hardly going out with a bang when one is meeting HRH! Check out the frock on old Liz- I haven't seen her in anything so lively, well, ever. And no hat on her head? What is this- a nudist colony?

As for this picture I find it very touching- could it be that in their 70's, despite a marriage that has most definitely been pestered by countless geisha, this couple is still very much in love?

Must be those little hats!

I knew it!

Classic Beauty

Finding pictures of Empress Michiko in her youth is not easy. Which is a shame because damn did she put the aii! in kawaii. Apparently she was the first empress who was not from an imperial family. She was considered beautiful, friendly and intelligent. Indeed she became popular among Japanese. The fist time she was introduced to the Japanese by it was by the photo below.

Check out that amazing kimono! In this next picture we see her and the emperor at their wedding standing like a couple of dolls. Both beautiful, and even a bit scary?

Aso desu ka!

I have to give Empress Michiko some credit. At first I thought her never ending parade of the same hat was a little beneath her until I realized her outfits were color coordinated to the country she was visiting. And even her "boxy" shaped suits I now realize are shaped to mimic a kimono (genius!). Here she is in Lithuanian and Estonia strutting her stuff.

You go girl!

Oops!

Estonia... the latest look?

Now in Estonia, the Japanese emperor and empress continue their European tour.

At first I was bummed to see Empress Michiko is this ensemble which so clearly looks like the one she wore in Switzerland. Ok, cute hat and the suit fits well but.....

And then I discovered there was meaning behind her outfit (so very Japanese)

"Michiko was wearing a dress-suit in blue, black and white, the colours of the Estonian national flag."Japan is a country that pays a lot of attention to symbols, so it's very telling that the empress was dressed in the Estonian national colours," Urmas Reinsalu, head of the parliament's Estonia-Japan friendship group, said on television."

Respect for other nations expressed via fashion- very cool indeed!

Clearly Michiko's badass digs have the Estonian first lady's panties in a knot. Get a look at that icy expression!!! Then again can you blame her? What is she wearing? Is she the first lady or the cleaning lady?

Fit for a queen

As the empress of Japan continues her (fashion) tour of Europe we find her in Switzerland- rocking a tres kawaii chapeau with the Swiss queen and then a beautiful (if not disappointingly plain) kimono.

C'mon your highness, it's the spring, throw on some color!

The head that bears the crown....

I am so royally inclined. Just look at this badass chapeau on the empress of Japan! It looks scarily family to hats I have been donning as of late. Tres kawaii with a hint of style. Ageless- now that's doing the queen scene in style!

Choose your battles

I am missing Japanese class right now as we speak. It is heart breaking because I don't even need to be here right now. But I left the office early for the past 2 days and well, Ellen specifically asked me to stay late today. So I picked my battle and here I am. I will call my Japanese proffesser in the morning and ask her if she can fax me the homework.
Iie ii!

A dark good bye

"Did fashion muse Isabella poison herself?"

This is the question posed by the UK Daily Mail. Apparently poor Isabella Blow was found dead and while she may indeed have been battling cancer she was also battling deep depression and had made numerous attempts at committing suicide. One attempt- where she jumped off a bridge- left her feet broken. Unable to wear stilettos Manolo Bhlanik and Christian Louboutin sent her flats. My god the woman even attempted suicide in style!

Izzy was the former assitant to fashion shark Anna Wintour. A role I can relate to all to well.

Says the Daily Mail, "Blow began her fashion career in 1981 as Wintour's assistant.
"In a world that's largely driven by corporate culture she was a joy to have," Wintour added. "She was not too good at getting to the office before 11am, but then she would arrive dressed as a maharaja or an Edith Sitwell figure.
"I don't think she ever did my expenses but she made life much more interesting."

Did Izzy take her own life? According the the reports coming in it seems likely. What a dark end to a bright life.

Well this Blows

Isabella Blow has died. Some news dribbling out of the UK say it was cancer. I am devastated that one of my great fashion icons has passed. Isabella was just plain cool. No if ands or buts. She was renowned for discovering McQueen, Kate Moss and Sophie Dahl (to name a few). She refused to let the hat die, always wearing one in very geisha-esqe styles. As we see here where a small Japanese town has sprung up in her locks.

I remember working for the collection and being told she was a freak- when I defended her I didn't get that much push back however... even in the world of prep there can be appreciation for the outlandish. If it is true and cancer did take this kawaii maven then I am sorry for it. I will wear my kooky chapeaus with pride and miss this diva of design and style.