Hanae Mori: Au Revoir Madame Butterfly
By Mari Davis
Photos by FW

PARIS, Jul 7, 2004/ FW/ --- In Asian culture, the butterfly is a harbinger of good luck. And for Hanae Mori, whose fashion career spans 50 years, the butterfly, which is also the symbol of her couture house, had been accompanied her until the end.

The 78-year old Japanese couturier, who had announced her retirement took her final bow at the Hotel Bristol in Paris tonight amidst models wearing gowns embroidered with butterflies.

It was an emotional scene, as the audience gave Hanae Mori a standing ovation, a salute to her genius and creativity that had delighted her fans and clients for half a century. She will be sorely missed.

For her final collection, Hanae Mori did what she does best, a blending of east and west where the obi becomes a belt and the crane is the focal point of a gown. It was also the yin-yang, as a model wore a white coat with white mink collar and cuffs opens into a geometrical black and white print on a jumper dress.

It was also a celebration of jewelry from the gold chokers to the crystal necklaces. But more important, it was also a show of Hanae Mori’s haute couture technique wherein pleats become graceful; ruche is ephemeral and embroidery speaks volume of exquisiteness.

It’s about today’s woman and the future wherein mixed cultural heritage is embraced. It’s east meeting west, converging and becoming one, as the differences are erased, turning into a stronger mix.

It’s also about strength, because that is Hanae Mori’s best legacy. She’s a revolutionary from her generation, choosing a career when women were not supposed to have none, and putting Asia and Asians on the fashion map, when the Far East was still considered a backwater for fashion.

So, it is hard to see her go, though we know that all good things come to an end. And the best way to show appreciation to her gift to the world is to continue her legacy.

Au revoir, Madame Butterfly! Thank you for your bequest of beauty and grace.

Hanae Mori

Hanae Mori

Hanae Mori

Hanae Mori