01 : Interview with Mariko Nakayama The style of the future, guided by things .
PROFILE
She started her career as a stylist in the 1980s and moved to New York in 1989. . In 2014, she launched her own brand "Madison Blue".
Instagram: @marikonakayama
. I heard that you don't buy a reward after you have worked hard, but rather "buy it first" style.
Nakayama:Yes, that's right. What I would like to introduce is a car. I am 58 years old this year, and I bought this car at the end of my 40's. I got it because I thought it would give me an idea of how to live into my 50's. .
You are the "280 SL" from Mercedes-Benz, aren't you?
Nakayama:I was born in 1964 , and I was often inspired by the 60's when it came to making clothes. . One day I realized that it had something to do with the decade in which I was born.
I really wanted a '64 car, but they still only had manuals back then, so I got a '71 automatic. The mood was that it was the 60's (laughs).
This car came all the way from the U.S. after leaving its former owner, who was a car enthusiast. Nakayama's taste is evident in her selection of a classic yet cute design.
What do you mean when you say that you can see a way of life for your 50s?
Nakayama:When I went from my 30s to my 40s, I felt a bit flustered, but when I entered my 50s, I had a very strong sense of a milestone. Then I suddenly began to wonder what would happen if I lived my life with an awareness of the things I liked about the 60's. I wondered what would happen if I lived my life with an awareness of the things I liked about the 60's. I wondered how I would feel if I lived my life in the 60's. I am always interested in the 60's, whether it be fashion or movies, and it has a great influence on me. When I was thinking about what to buy, my husband said, "A car would be nice. I thought, "A car would be nice.
When you started Madison Blue, were you aware of the 60s?
Nakayama:Not yet, when I started. But when I started making my own clothes, I realized that as I delved deeper into what I liked. That's why I think Madison Blue gave me a great opportunity.
I see.
Nakayama:My husband is usually the driver, and I don't do much driving myself (laughs). When we got the car, our two children had grown apart from their parents and our lifestyle had changed drastically. We used to drive a big car and go camping as a family, but that lifestyle was gradually changing. I had reached the end of my child-rearing years, and the timing was right for me to move on to the next stage of my life as I approached the age of 50.
. one taken at the home of the former owner. At the time, the car had about 30,000 kilometers on the odometer, and was sitting in a garage. The sepia-toned photograph evokes the passage of time.
Did you look for different types of karma?
Nakayama:I went this way and that way (laughs). (Laughs.) Up until then, I was a stylist, so I looked at cars as tools, such as ease of driving or the ability to hold a lot of luggage. But when I was choosing a car for my 50s, I was conscious of how I would drive it. Until then, I had been driving a car with a high ride height, but it would not be beautiful to drive a joyride in my 50s. Instead, I wanted to have a beautiful manner when riding in the car, and I wanted my clothes to match the car. That car fit my idea of what I wanted. It was sexy, sporty, and had a 60's mood.
Have you actually spent your 50s with this car and have there been any changes?
Nakayama:. It's changed. I think it was the style. I felt that flashy clothes didn't suit me, nor did too much fashion, so I became more and more stripped down and more casual.
. So Karma shaped Mr. Nakayama's style.
Nakayama:This is a bit off topic, but I'm sure women would love to own a Birkin someday. But I thought it would be a little too early for a woman in her 40s to own a Birkin. . I felt like I would become a "Birkin-holder. So I kept thinking about whether I should own a Birkin when I was in my 40s, or whether I should never own a Birkin.
When I was over 50 years old, a staff member at Hermes asked me, "Mariko-san, how about a Birkin? I thought it was still fine, but the staff suggested that it would definitely suit Mariko. I thought it wasn't for me yet, but the staff suggested that it would definitely look good on you, so I decided to try it out. Then, strangely enough, my style was being whittled away, and I was able to wear T-shirts again in my 50s.
It's like being guided by something.
Nakayama:When I shop, I think of it as an exchange of energy. It is important to relax by wearing what you want to wear or what is comfortable to wear, but if you stretch yourself a little and buy something nice, you will move in that direction and become that person. When you have something nice, your life will flow smoothly in that direction.
I have a feeling that when we circulate money and energy in this way, life will take a turn for the better.
Are there things you are thinking about getting in your 60s from now on?
Nakayama:About a month ago, there was an haute couture meeting, and the French staff came to Japan. I had never been to Japan before, but this year I happened to be in Japan, and I was thinking of a gift for myself as I turned 60, so I told the French staff that I wanted to make the jacket that Coco (Chanel) wore, in my favorite tweed, to fit my body, and they said "Yes! I got a "Yes!
In creating the haute couture piece, he looked at a collection of photographs and lost himself in thought about what the future might hold. I don't want to wear this jacket as a set-up, but with denim," says Nakayama.
That's great.
Nakayama:So I was invited to come to her atelier in Paris, where I could choose from a wide variety of tweed fabrics, braid, buttons, etc. to create my own one-of-a-kind dress, and she would be presenting her haute couture collection in January. Coco Chanel is one of those women who has left a great legacy, and I myself am one of those people who try my best to live by her way of life and her words. So I have a strong feeling that, "Oh, here she comes" (laughs). (Laughs.) My desire to have her create haute couture one day coincided with the timing of Paris in January, and I thought this was a good opportunity for me to mark the turning point of my 60s.
. . and what will happen to the 60-somethings who get it , I wonder.
Nakayama:I wonder what will happen (laughs). I've worn vintage Chanel jackets, of course, but the shoulder pads are very assertive and the round neck is very deep. . That doesn't look good on a young body. I finally started to feel that I needed the padding when I was over 50 and my shoulders had lost weight, and the deep neck rounds are also designed to make the accessories look beautiful. Karl (Lagerfeld) and Virginie (Viard) have also firmly inherited such traditional designs.
I'm a working woman, so I'd like to spend my time more gracefully than before, but I'm sure my life will continue to be a flurry of activity. Tweed is a sporty fabric that doesn't wrinkle easily, but at the same time it is very elegant. I discovered in my fifties that I could go anywhere on airplanes and bullet trains without having to press my clothes. I think it was a combination of these things that led me to the opportunity to create haute couture.
I want to be a person who takes on new challenges even in my 60s, and I think I have the right partner to help me survive the next 10 years. .
