sole appetite: love, loss and rebirth....

In the modern world of fashion, there is little room for artistic expression, this fast pace world has become one of dollars and cents. Brushed aside is individuality, in its place a stamped out plastic world where designers’ vision and voices are muffled by the great machine, which is the garment industry. One of the few vestiges of story telling and artistic expression are the couture shows, Ricardo Tisci’s latest collection for the house of Givenchy, with it’s pallid color story tempered with surprising infusion of color, tells a tale of love, loss and rebirth.

Long ago in the time of magic in a village in Japan, lived a beautiful young woman. Her hair long and black, eyes bright, lips in the shape of a heart and skin like porcelain. Her parents named her Ai, meaning love as she was. For Ai, joy was not a friend misfortune and tragedy was her constant companion.

On his fifth birthday her only child Ichiro falls sick and never recovers, her parents fall to the same illness and her husband in a clan fight. “How unlucky I am, to be named love yet there is no one for me” she laments. “How could the gods be so cruel?” She spends her days and nights wandering the village like and white specter, only heartache and sorrow clinging to her like her damp mourning robes. One moonlit night she walks by the river, and the rushing torrents seem to chatter. At first just a whisper, then constant beaconing, she looks into the moonlit currents realize this was the only way she will be with her family again. In her white mourning gown she takes one step then another into the river. As the water hits her shoulders the waters’ icy embrace pulls her under. As the water rushes over her head tortured thoughts are silenced and then just blackness.

Ai’s eyes open and she is not at the bottom of the river rather a bright and magical palace. “Ah there you are” says a warm voice. “Am I dead?” she asks. “Yes and No” says the voice, “you are an immortal now.” Ai’s eyes adjust to the light, and see an old man with long white beard and wooden staff in hand, kind downward turning eyes and rosey cheaks. “I am Jurojin” says the old man. “You have known such sorrow and ill fortune you will be my harbinger of good fortune and longevity.”

Jurojin takes her hand and leads her to another room where she sees other women like her dressed in gowns embroidered with feathers and cranes. “Your sisters will explain all” he says and leaves the room.

“My name is Chu” says a young woman who’s gown was stitched with fine oyster colored thread. “Our master only asks a two things of us”, she says. “First thing, you must go to him when summoned and second do as he asks, if you do you will never know sorrow again.”

“What does he ask us to do?” Ai inquires. “Deliver good news”, a voice from another room says. “I am Hana says this young woman with a origami jacket and feathered skirt. “You will be summoned and he will tell you who is to receive the good tidings, Master is the god of luck and longevity, he favors beautiful women, and we are all lost souls that he has chosen to deliver his news.

At this moment Ai is summoned to Jurojin’s chambers. “Yes master” she answers. Jurojin hands her a piece of paper and Ai reads it. She is to deliver, the good news that this young couple are to have a child after many failed attempts. She hastily flies out the window with her robes flapping behind her. She flutters over mountains, rivers and then finally pastures where she sees the couple hard at work on their farm. She lands and starts telling them the news, joy overcomes her and she begins to sing and dance.

The young couple is taken a back at this site. “Look a dancing crane”, says the young woman to her husband. He grabs her and holds her close, “we are lucky, we are to receive some very good luck”, he whispers into her ear.