Hello Spring! I love spring because of the explosion of blossoms & flowers.
Yellow Daffodils, Soft pink magnolia, white crocuses, lilac and white hyacinth, tulips and primroses in a myriad of colours and of course blossoms from cherry, apple, peach and plum trees display a symphony of colour. This heralds the arrival of a new season; spring. In spring, one of the best-loved symbols of Japan; cherry blossom makes a dramatic sweep across the country. A tradition has developed where the arrival of the cherry blossom is celebrated throughout the country. Spring is party time. Revellers dress up to celebrate and much loved strawberry champagne is consumed in copious quantities. So what are you waiting for, we’ve given you a good excuse to celebrate, it’s a new season time party in a new dress. Read on to learn how the Hanami tradition inspired us to create the Sakura dress.
The Hanami Tradition for the new season
Sakura (cherry blossoms) bloom from the end of March through April in a kind of wave starting in southern Kyushu and working its way northeast. Hanami is the viewing of cherry blossom whilst picnicking under a cherry tree, the tradition has been popular since the Heian period ( (794-1185). The beauty of the delicate pink flowers is offset by a sense of melancholy at their all-too-brief appearance. This is often compared to our own short time spent on the earth. Every year, millions of Japanese of all ages gather beneath the pink blossoms to admire them and celebrate the arrival of spring.
If you can’t beat them join them to celebrate Sakura
This year was my first-time experiencing “Sakura” “Cherry blossom” in Tokyo Japan. If someone had said to me, a few years ago that I would be joining the masses to admire cherry blossom in spring in Tokyo, I probably would have accused them of being two slices short of a loaf, of having lost their marbles or depending on my mood, insinuated that they were smoking something really good, hence the wild imagination.
Well when in Rome do as the Romans, I joined the crowds to enjoy Sakura. I was a little cynical at first about the affair but then I saw the spectacle and realized wow Mother Nature is really wonderful and Sakura reverie is real. What a delight for the eyes! I even got my big camera out for the occasion. Those delicate blossoms, billions of them perfectly positioned on cherry tree branches. A slight gust of wind and the delicate petals are blown like confetti serenading the crowd watching below.
Celebrate the new season with a new dress
So taken was I by the Sakura season that I designed a dress for the occasion. Keeping with the Reina de Santiago philosophy, African wax is combined with contemporary fabric. In this instance, Vlisco African wax print with a Sakura-like motif and Italian Chiffon. The Print on the fabric reflects the blossom and the chiffon draping cape represents the delicate nature of the blossom. The dress is a simple fitted shift with a low cut back. The cape starts at the shoulders draping low at the back. When the wind blows, the cape is carried gently by the wind revealing the back and shoulders of the wearer.
My descriptions do not do justice to the dress, check it out yourself …
