Dan Liu Inspires the Modern Feminine Wardrobe with Spring Cocktail Dresses

Japanese education fashion designer, Dan Liu, is as hands-on as the fashion breed could get. Being backstage beside him was the most inspiring experience having been able to witness him in action as he spoke to every backstage staff member about each model and every look. His approach to fashion is similar to his business strategies; he must have his hands on every design and every detail.

Dan Liu explained his Spring Summer 2018 Collection inspiration to me, “Well, the theme of my collection is called The Lonely Beach Feelings. So obviously it is everything about beaches. As you can see, the colors are pastel, white, blue, baby blue pink color. Everything is about the beach. I can give you a little bit of an idea. All the pinks and reds represent the sunrise or sunset on the beach. The white and off-white colors represent the sand. All the blue colors, baby blue, dark blue represents the ocean or the waves. So everything is about the beaches.”

When the runway began, I could instantly detect the beach influences. Pastels, laces, and airy cocktail dresses raided the catwalk. Every look was versatile, but still had a significant element of drama as peacock feathers hung above their eyes over their eyebrows. The spectrum of designs also included printed maxis offering daytime wardrobe options for the Dan Liu girl in addition to the nighttime looks.

Dan Liu explained his design process to me, “Like I said, when I work with my team, I always tell them to try to focus on doing something for your friend, or your family, or for yourself. How do you feel when you wear this dress? You can draw anything on paper and make it look amazing. Just like Japanese Anime. It’s so amazing, so beautiful, but can you make it for real? That’s the problem, the next step. You can draw anything on paper, but if you cannot make it for real, then it is useless. It’s only on paper. So when I tell my designers, and when I am drawing the sketches, the first thing I am thinking is who am I designing for and for what purpose?”

His design process was evident in the collection. Every look was intentionally designed for real women. Women who want to feel beautiful and still live functionally in his clothes. Based on the collection I would say he accomplished his goals perfectly.