THE LAST SAMURAI
How Nicolas Ghesquière’s catwalk warriors from his Balenciaga Spring / Summer 2012 runway appeared to be time traveling Neo-Samurais. The models shared an uncanny resemblance to the Samurais captured through the lens of Jacques-Philippe Potteau in the City of Light between 1862 and 1864…
Portrait of Rokugorō Horie • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
“The military-nobility caste known as samurai, roughly meaning “those who serve, “ emerged in medieval Japan as provincial warriors, and rose to control the country in the 12th century. As the enforcement arm of the ruling shogunate, the samurai were elevated to a position of privilege. Samurai followed a code of honor called bushido, informed by Confucianism and Zen Buddhism. Bushido emphasized martial fearlessness, discipline and loyalty, as well as general kindness. These photos, made in the years after Japan finally opened its ports to international trade, capture samurai in their final days. With the 1868 Meiji Restoration and the end of feudalism, carrying swords was prohibited to all but the new national armed forces. The samurai class was dissolved, but bushido survived as the national moral code of the new Japan.” • Mashable • All runway images courtesy of Vogue
Portrait of Taichi Tanabe • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Portrait of Jirōtarō Saitō • Paris, France • 1864 • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Samantha Gradoville modeling an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • March 2012 • L'Express Styles • Jean-François Campos
Models wearing accessories and jacket by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • March 2012 • W Magazine • Tim Walker
Portrait of Ikuta Nozawa • April 1862 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Heather Marks modeling an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • March 2012 • Madame Figaro • Nico Bustos
Portrait of Jirōtarō Saitō • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Studio Portrait of Yasunao Matsudaira and Takaaki Kyōgoku • February 1862 • Marshall Milton Miller Studio • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
A Balenciaga clad Charlotte Gainsbourg dueling with Nicolas Ghesquière • May 2012 • Harper’s Bazaar • Jean-Paul Goude
Portrait of Yukichi Fukuzawa • April 1862 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Portrait of Nagaaki Ikeda • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Portrait of Taichi Tanabe • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Portrait of Taichi Tanabe of Shūhei Mitsukuri • April 1862 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Zuzanna Bijoch wearing an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • January 1, 2012 • Vogue • David Sims
Members of the Takenouchi Mission to Europe • April 26, 1862 • Paris, France • Engraving by Charles Maurand • Le Monde illustré • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Balenciaga Ad Campaign • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • Steven Meisel
Portrait of Rentarō Tanaka • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Kate Moss modeling an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • March 2012 • W Magazine • Steven Klein
Balenciaga Ad Campaign • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • Steven Meisel
Members of the Ikeda Mission to France • May 14, 1864 • Paris, France • Engraving by E. Roevens • Le Monde illustré • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Balenciaga Ad Campaign • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • Steven Meisel
Portrait of Aizō Sugiura • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Julia Nobis modeling an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • Another Magazine • Julia Hetta
Portrait of Hikosaburō Takamatsu • April 1862 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Portrait of Kichijūrō Nishi • 1864 • Paris, France • Jacques-Philippe Potteau • From The Last Samurai : Jacques-Philippe Potteau's Photographs of the Japanese Missions to Europe, 1862 and 1864, exhibition curated by Philip Grover in 2011 • Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford
Charlotte Gainsbourg modeling an ensemble by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga • Spring / Summer 2012 Collection • May 2012 • Harper’s Bazaar • Jean-Paul Goude
