Photos by Jun Nagata/Rafu Shimpo

Designer Tadashi Shoji raised the curtain Saturday on his new fall collection in conjunction with the 66th annual Nisei Week Festival. Featured were bold colors, animal prints, custom fabrics, and Tadashi’s signature layered-ribbon designs.Nisei Week queens and princesses, representing Festival courts from 1953-2005, ascended the runway as models, while KNBC-TV co-anchor Ted Chen and Cold Tofu artistic director Helen Ota guided the show as emcees. 

Tadshi

In addition to the evening wear, for which Tadashi is best known, he showcased his sportswear line, T by Tadashi.

Event chair Nikki Kodama and her committee resurrected the fashion show, which hadn’t been held since 2002.

The 2004 Nisei Week queen, Kodama (top photo) modeled one of Tadashi’s kimono-inspired evening gowns.

Entertainment was provided by Jason Wee, who performed on the koto, and tap dancers Seijiro Yamano and Takamaru Koba of Kagoshima, Japan.

Judy Gilbertson, the 1995 queen, wears a cocktail
dress