Summer Surprise
“It’s always the same,” Tadashi Shoji said, playfully observing his 2004 Spring/Summer Tadashi collection. But his latest line—the 22nd of his career—seemed anything but business as usual at an April 22 runway show at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The biggest surprise was that a major runway show took place inside the upscale mall. The South Coast Plaza has only hosted two other fashion shows inside the mall, one for La Perla and one for Wet Seal in 2000. Tadashi made the show special by hosting a gala reception at his new flagship store, which opened in the South Coast Plaza in March, and by donating $5,000 and 10 percent of his proceeds that weekend to Orange County charity Sophisticates of ATSC.
A crowd gathered at the mall’s centerpiece, the Carousel Court, to glimpse the models wearing 60 of Tadashi’s latest styles. The crowd gave its greatest applause to a stunning wedding dress with a skirt covered in snowflake-like silk organza feathers for a winter wonderland look.
Other fashions were lighter and brighter than those of Tadashi’s past collections. Styles included pastel cocktail dresses designed for the Miss USA pageant, blue silk evening suits with piping on the jackets for a sexy corset look, white separates and dresses accented by a clean black piping, and summery prints featuring roses and butterflies.
With price points ranging from $150 to $450 for many items at his shop, Tadashi forecast his store’s earnings would be rosier than some of his dresses.
“We are expecting $1 million,” Tadashi said. “But we are doing much better than that.” —Andrew Asch
