Tsumori Chisato Loves Cats

Today was not much of a shopping day for me, except for one quick peek at the beautiful selection of wares at Le Bon Marché. During this brief visit, however, I managed to discover a designer that I had never heard of who really knocked me off my feet. This designer is Tsumori Chisato, a Japanese designer who studied at Tokyo's Bunka Fashion School and started her own line in 1990 after many solid years as the head designer for Issey Miyake's Issey Sports, later renamed I.S. Chisato Tsumori Design.

Chisato's clothing and accessories have a beautiful Japanese vibe, but they also seem to draw inspiration from French style in an almost Sonia Rykiel-like manner. (This is probably in part due to the fact that both current store locations for the brand are in Paris.)

One thing I love about this newly discovered designer is that she has a line called Cats! (Please see the first image below.) As a cat-lover, I was greatly amused by the t-shirts and sweaters with abstract cat silhouettes and the oh-so-adorable kitty wallets.

Images from tsumorichisato.com

Image from farfetch.com

Image from lagarconne.com

An image of Chisato's "store" within Le Bon Marché:

Image from tsumorichisato.com

Some highlights from Chisato's Cats line:

Image from tsumorichisato.com

Images from lagarconne.com

Overall, I love the designer's bold and creative use of color. The clothes are fun and sophisticated at the same time. This sort of usage of color is slowly becoming rarer and rarer in the United States, so it's exhilarating to find fresh, talented designers who are adventurous and don't shy away from loud, statement-making apparel and accessories.

Paris is so wonderful! I am discovering so much (including fantastic patisseries to feed my endless craving for pain au chocolat).

xoxo