1971 (dress); 1973 (coat)

Woman's Ensemble: Evening Dress and Long Coat

The bold graphics on this evening dress, which was modeled in Kansai's Tokyo-London fashion show in 1971, were inspired by large tattoos called irezumi. Such tattoos became popular in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1868), following the publication of the Japanese adaptation and translation of the Chinese story of the 108 heroes of the Suikoden and a series of woodblock prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) that illustrated the tales of these rebel bandits. Irezumi were outlawed in the late nineteenth century during the Meiji Restoration and legalized again after 1945.

This coat, reminiscent of a woman's black formal kimono, is embroidered with the image of a seated tiger and kanji characters that spell the designer's name. It was modeled in Hess's fashion show of trends for 1974, the year of the tiger.