Tadashi Shoji in a Sea of Dresses

When showing an entire collection of dresses, one can risk incohesion or a boring variation on a theme. Japanese designer, Tadashi Shoji, defeated the odds and his RTW Fall 2011 sea of dresses managed to be interesting and varied without being lost in its own translation.

When one thinks of Shoji, his gracious dresses come to mind, often seen gracing red carpet events. Appropriately, as it is awards season, his dresses have garnered much attention – most recently seen on Kelly Osborne at the Grammy’s.

Most of us don’t get the chance to attend these events and the closet we’ve come to seeing a Shoji original, is in a glossy magazine. So to see his work in the flesh was a definite treat. The richness of the fabrics and the laser sharp tailoring with sultry subtleness can only really be truly admired when you see it live. Photos don’t do these beautiful dresses justice.

Shoji showcased so many different dresses, it’s hard not to appreciate his passion. Bold colors mixed in with neutrals helped make his palette diverse and wearable for almost all skin tones. He played with different necklines, sleeve lengths and shapes that it really gave a really broad scope of his talent.

With the awards seasons in full swing, we can’t wait to see who else will be lucky enough to don a Shoji original.