Kyoto-based fashion company Wazigen Shizukaya has been known to release new collections of samurai-inspired garb for every season. Their coats, accessories, and outfits are completely modeled off of old-school samurai fashion, but while they are traditional, they’re also modern, functional, comfortable, and stylish. In fact, their newest collection, the 2019 winter collection, is so fashionable it could even be considered avant-garde! This lineup focuses on stylish winter outerwear, with plenty of original, colorful designs. Take for example, this emerald green cloak. It’s dark with splashes of neon blue for a very modern coloring, but the fabric is made of pile wool, which is soft, warm, and comfortable, making it the perfect cloak for your New Year’s shrine visits in the January cold. For a more flashy look, you can’t go wrong with this India-inspired hooded robe. It features tigers, elephants, peacocks, and even the face of Buddha, and every single color is brightly and clearly sewn in. Yet this robe is also extra luxurious because it’s made in the style of French Gobelin tapestries, making it feel very expensive and exclusive. The multi-textured look is the appeal of the next piece, a wool and lace double cape. The translucency of the lace and the sophistication of the silver lamé, coupled with the bright red interior lining, makes this cape exceptionally beautiful, and draws the design away from the traditional. The lace is made with wool, as well, so it’s light, but perfectly warm. If you’re looking for something a little more avant-garde than that, however, you can’t go wrong with this hasode, or outer wrap, tailor tucson az which is decorated in a geometric pattern that has been colored in bright primary colors by stippling, or using many small dots. You will draw all the eyes in the room to you with this exceptional piece. Also of note is this elegant, dark grey cloak stitched entirely in a herringbone pattern, which can be dressed up or down for all kinds of events. Though it’s dark and austere with a stiff collar, the herringbone stitch makes it trendy, and it would look fabulous with any outfit. The new collection also offers a hooded leopard print robe that’s more understated but has a luxurious look to it, a more casual soft grey robe made of Geelong Lambswool from Australia, and a red, black, and white twine double-layered coat, in addition to a couple of other stunning pieces. Each one is expertly designed to be stylish, fashion forward, and above all, functional and warm. This collection is now available in Wazigen Shizukaya’s Kyoto shop as well as online. Prices range from 40,000 yen to 110,000 yen, though most of them are about 70,000 or 80,000 yen. If you want to look stylishly traditional this winter, one of these pieces are sure to bring your whole outfit together. Love midcentury style? Check out this five-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in Weston, Connecticut. Designed and built in 1965 by architect Allan Gelbin, the home follows Frank Lloyd Wright’s theories on organic architecture. Gelbin was an apprentice to Wright at Taliesin East in Spring Green, Wisconsin, from 1949-1953, before establishing his own practice in 1957 in Connecticut. The focal point of the design is an expansive living room and dining room that features a stone fireplace. Clerestory windows let in light, while wooden ceiling panels and built-in bookshelves add coziness. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows showcase a wraparound deck and views of the 2.25 acre property, and the master suite also offers panoramic views and access to a terrace. The home is currently being sold in “as is” condition and the oil tank needs replacing, according to the listing, but other perks include an updated kitchen, radiant heat, a newer roof, and a walk-in closet. 15 Skylark Lane is currently on the market for $625,000. During the first wave of women’s emancipation, women were the ones who rose above the conventions and stepped forward to support the new dance. The idea was for the dancers to
express themselves freely through movement. They were guided by music and inspired by paintings from ancient Greek vases, Oriental dances, and Native American cultures. The most basic movement in modern dance is a free natural style. One of the most important pioneers of modern dance was Isadora Duncan. An advocate of the body’s natural movement, she was inspired by movements of nature, such as winds and waves.
Modern Dance vs. Ballet As opposed to the vertical posture, which is dominant in ballet, modern dance embraced dancing close to the floor with horizontal movements. Dancing with flat feet and bent limbs, movements which were shunned in ballet, was a way of portraying emotions in modern dance. Ballet represents classical and formal narrative, while modern dance contrasts it by representing current, contemporary issues that have led to its directness and increased intensity. Modern Dance Today Some of the movements in modern dance are jetes (jumps), glissade (gliding steps), chaine tour (chain turns), tour de basque (leaps), and front-to-back and side-to-side steps. Choreography in modern dance groups creates geometric shapes with dancers’ bodies. With mostly triangular, circular, and rectangular shapes, the audience can “see” the theme of the routine in modern dance. Modern dance today is often confused with “jazz dance” which also incorporates some basic ballet movements. However, choreography in modern dance has a theme, while jazz dance uses a free form with jumps, hops, leaps accompanied by upbeat music. In modern dance, this is done with more fluidity and softness in movements. Famous Modern Dancers “If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it,” said Isadora Duncan (18771927). She would perform barefoot in thin and loose dresses, no corsets, bringing her expressive movements to impressive standards. The impact that she has had on modern dance continues far beyond her death. Widespread arms, leaps without constraints, skips, lifted head in a sort of ecstasy, and finally, each movement merging into the next one are elements that characterize Duncan’s dancing.