Tailoring for Women

What an unexpected, and intriguing pleasure it was to meet with Grayson Perry the other night at the opening of the exhibition of works by the artist Kishio Suga.  Suga-san is one of the leading artists of the Mono-ha School (The School of Things); a movement that swept the Japanese art worldfrom the end of the 1960s through the 1970s.  The exhibition was held at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in Regents Park and was timed to complement  the Frieze Art Fair.

Grayson is an admirer of  Suga-san’s work and after the initail presentation we had time to chat.  I have long wanted to talk to Grayson, not only about his work as an artist, but more irresistibly, about his passion for cross-dressing and the role he plays in the design and making of his striking garments.  Luckily there was a photographer close by and we were able to capture the moment before he was whisked away.

We talked in particular about the Art of Savile Row and I mentioned its eponymous BBC TV programme when he was featured commissioning a suit from Richard James.   I remember a fascinating bit of perceptions at play between the customer and his tailor which had to be worked through. A kind of ‘Victor/Victoria moment’ came to mind!.

The designer/maker issue came up and how rare it is for there to be a shared understanding of the actual making side. I told him a story about working with a certain feisty French designer who handed me a set of cartoons – over exaggerated, with proportinally distorted figures in ‘anti-gravity’ poses.  To prove a point, our team of makers decided to build one of his Safari jackets to scale and the result was something of a hibrid, somewhere between  Dan Leno and the corps de ballet.

Very pleasant indeed to have such an exchange over a glass of wine…By the way…he has sensational legs………..!

Photos: thanks to www.peopleplayuk.org.uk and www.commonwealthballet.org

My trip to Japan this year was filled with interesting places and people.  None more so than Mogi-san.  Masayuki Mogi was the first Japanese creative director for Vidal Sassoon, and in the 70′s was considered one of the world’s finest hair stylists with a client list that took him all over the globe.  He returned to Japan to start his own business and his chain of salons grace some of the more exclusive parts of Tokyo.  In particular he developed a signature style emphasising the natural, organic qualities of a person’s hair and he considers his work to be more on a level with sculpture and painting.

In fact his interest in all aspects of the Arts seems to permeate his whole business and social relationships, and his magazine, +ing (plusing), is full of enticing imagery and interesting comment.  He extends this credo to his staff too who are encouraged to write for the magazine and participate in a series of clients’ clubs devoted to food, theatre, music and the arts.

Mogi-san is also passionate about the production of better quality food and along with his wife Yoko-san, an equally accomplished make-up artist, and some of his staff I was treated to a sumptuous meal at his art gallery, The Attic; a unique three tiered space built from welded sheet steel.