Tadashi Shoji referencing a Japanese Zen garden is not a stretch by any means for a designer who often uses floral lace in his languid eveningwear. For spring, he focused heavily on wisteria, both in color and motif, among the garden buds he sent down his runway. This worked best as a strapless gown with an acrylic floral appliqued bodice and a pleated and layered tulle gown. The hemline featured a bold graphic-stripe motif, which he also worked on a black-and-white version paired with a beaded bomber jacket — although the latter’s effect was more varsity than flora and fauna.
Shoji also looked to the Japanese art of Ogata Korin and Hokusai, which he translated into graphics and paired with florals on an emerald green, black and white matelassé gown with a blossom motif and an emerald green and black short-sleeve shift for day. Shoji used generous amounts of tulle as well, often layered. The effect worked best when he struck a balance between embroidery and one of the aforementioned graphic elements. While elegant and pretty overall, the gowns would have had more impact had they been tailored to the models wearing them.