On Saturday afternoon of Sakura-Con 2012, thousands of attendees gathered for the much anticipated h.NAOTO fashion show, which was before the Moi dix Mois concert that same evening. Many fans of the h.NAOTO label and Moi Dix Mois fans waited patiently; while others sat down and chatted with other persons in line.
A hush fell over the packed audience as h.NAOTO’s logo flashed across the three screens at the front of the large auditorium. To help educate the crowd, a short slideshow played, visually detailing the lifespan of h.NAOTO’s vast collection of clothing through promotional images and magazine scans that the brand had been featured in across the years. Two kanji that read as “crime and punishment” in art-deco style rendering appeared on the three large screens as the first model started to walk on stage.
The first model walked briskly, wearing a pale pastel mint hoodie dress with white lace ruffles and white tulle at the bottom over a ruffled skirt of the same colour, arm-length white lace gloves, and black patent leather knee boots. The most eye-catching element of her outfit was a large mass of white tulle affixed to the back of her head, highlighting her brown hair.
With chilling music playing in the background, the second model shyly pranced down the catwalk, wearing a largely grey-black ensemble: a pinstripe grey blouse tucked into a pair of matching high waisted bloomers, with white opaque stockings and black lace-up boots and a mini top hat sitting in front of a white tulle wad on her head, similar to the first model—only the first few female models had this hairpiece. She also carried a matching handbag donned with black lace.
During an odd placement of a song change to a classical piece, the third model showcased the next outfit, a black and blue coord. Her blue and black vertical striped bustle skirt was the centerpiece of the coord, paired with a black blouse and matching bolero, black diamond checked tights and black patent heels. Her over-sized black lace bow seemed to melt into the white tulle pinned to the top of her head.
Next was a beautiful but surprising mixture of varying designs in one. The top of the garment featured a floral patterned corset over a wide-necked top that had gathered bishop sleeves with a variety of similar meek floral and pastel prints yet was open-backed with a bow across her back. Underneath flowed a very long ruffled bustle on the sides only but looked to be designed with intentions of wearing an equally long underskirt. The model instead wore a short, fitted floral mini-skirt underneath. It was rather unexpected for the piece to be included in a fashion show dominated by black and grey as the garment seemed more suitable for a light dolly kei or, rather, verged closer to a Mori girl.
Straight afterwards followed another black outfit but this time, with touches of fiery red. The model wore a black leather jacket over a black and red ruffled OP paired with black spider web tights. Her platforms pumps with killer heels added a punch to the outfit.
The model’s eye makeup was almost double the thickness than the previous models—the edge of her black eye shadow dropped into her cheeks. Thin ropes of synthetic braids stretched across her face and gathered in a teased ponytail on the opposite side, thus helping to create a unique look on the catwalk. On her return towards the stage, before her exit, she removed the leather jacket to reveal of the bodice of the outfit. Carrying the jacket on her shoulder, she turned a few times before exiting the stage.
Next was the first male model of the evening who also sported braids across his face with thick, black eye makeup. His outfit mixed pirate elements with that of a rock star, relying on simple colours, tie-dye and an eye-catching cropped blue jacket as the centre for the outfit. From a distance, he appeared quite stern, walking with his hands in his pockets and turning a few times to show the audience his simple outfit. The ambient, eerie music echoed over the quiet audience.
Similar to above, followed a female version that included more gold and the return of platform heels. The detail on both sides of her black pants—laced like the back of a corset—was the most eye-catching.
The next piece contained similar elements to previous model, with braids stretched across the face and thick eye makeup. Much of the outfit was comprised of black, though with rugged layers of different textures and patterns. The exception to this of course, was faded tie-dye legging in a mixture of faded pink, orange and green as the colour for the entire coord. Most notably, the model's wide collared jacket is part of h.NAOTO 2012 collection.
A blonde model with blonde braids plastered across her face, walked proudly down the catwalk. She wore a black, seemingly shiny OP with a loose bolero with poet sleeves, fishnet stockings and black combat boots. The poet-style sleeves oozed a subtle sexiness, with a bright red underneath detailed black lace. On the return walk, she removed the bolero and held it in front of her, turning around a few and posing in place.
The main point of the final model’s piece was an oversized, long, open-armed cardigan with rough edges and diagonal stripes with black lace and a frilled hem, over a short tie-dyed OP, fishnet stockings and black boots. She, too, gracefully removed the cardigan and let the end of it extend beyond her as she walked—quite majestic.
As soon as the last model left the stage, the lights faded to black briefly before the house lights were turned on again, and all models were welcomed back onto the stage for a final walk. The audience clapped wildly. h.NAOTO’s head designer, Naoto stepped onto stage with an interpreter who asked him a few questions.
With aid from an interpreter who translated his answers into English, Naoto explained that his brand, h.NAOTO is an “original brand of punk and gothic Lolita” and mentioned that a lot of Japanese stars wear his brand, including X JAPAN’s Yoshiki and Sugizo, Hyde and of course Gackt—even Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler wore h.NAOTO while performing at Tokyo Dome. Naoto continued to welcome everyone to buy one-of-a-kind pieces, and to stop by the booth throughout the duration of the convention. He then thanked everyone, and turned to leave the stage.
Immediately, the audience began shuffling towards the exit and into the main part of the Convention Centre, while others rushed ecstatically over to the area to line-up early for the following event.
When Naoto returned to Japan a few days later, he recorded this short message, thanking everyone who had come to the fashion at Sakura-Con 2012.
