Hanae Mori: The Butterfly of Paris, A Collector’s Guide
Hanae Mori made her name in two places at once. In Tokyo she dressed the cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, hundreds of films in all; in Paris she opened a haute couture house in 1977 and worked there for twenty-seven years. Her emblem was the butterfly, which she used in print, embroidery and jewellery and which became so closely tied to her that she was nicknamed Madame Butterfly. This guide gives the dated record, notes where it is unsettled and sets out what to look for in the pieces.
From Shinjuku to New York
Hanae Mori was born in Shimane on 8 January 1926. She opened the Hiyoshiya atelier in Shinjuku in 1951 and became the costume designer of choice for Japanese cinema, working on hundreds of films, more than two hundred according to the Metropolitan Museum. In January 1965 she showed in New York under the title ‘East Meets West’, which the Met calls the Miyabiyaka collection. Her mix of Japanese textile and Western cut was the foundation of the Paris career that followed.
Paris, 1977
In 1977 Mori joined the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and opened her maison on the Avenue Montaigne. She is widely reported as its first Asian member, although accounts vary between ‘Asian’, ‘Japanese’ and ‘Asian woman’. The fuller account of the Paris generation is in Japanese Fashion as Design Philosophy.
The butterfly
The butterfly is the signature. Mori told W magazine that it came from the image of a silver shining jet plane, a modern machine rather than an insect. The nickname Madame Butterfly was reinforced by her costumes for Puccini’s opera at La Scala in 1985. The year she began to use the motif is not recorded. A story about Chanel and a butterfly circulates in several versions and is not repeated here.
Honours
- 1988. The Medal with Purple Ribbon.
- 1996. The Order of Culture, the first awarded to a fashion designer.
- 2002. The Legion of Honour, Officier.
The close of the house
The company filed for civil rehabilitation on 30 May 2002, with liabilities of ¥10.1 billion. Its ready-to-wear and licensing businesses passed to Mitsui & Co. and, reportedly, the Rothschild group, and the couture subsidiary closed in 2004. Mori showed her last haute couture collection, for autumn/winter 2004/05, on 7 July 2004 and held a farewell show in Tokyo on 9 September. She died at her home in Tokyo on 11 August 2022, aged 96; the cause was not announced.
Collecting notes
- Butterfly motifs in print, embroidery and jewellery are the most recognisable.
- Labels. The wording and layout of labels differ between lines and periods; record the label, the care tag and any licensee marks before you buy.
- Licensed pieces. The brand was widely licensed, so label wording and quality vary; the haute couture and early boutique pieces are the ones to look for.
- Condition. Silk fades and watermarks easily. See Japanese condition ranks.
Why Japan
Mori’s clothes were bought in Japan for decades, and the Japanese pre-owned wardrobe holds butterfly prints and evening pieces from several periods of the house.
In the archive now
Continue reading
- Kenzo Takada: Paris Colour and the Tokyo Cut
- Issey Miyake: Clothing as Architecture
- Directory of Japanese Fashion Designers
- Encyclopedia entry · The Fashionista Bible
Looking for a butterfly piece or an evening dress? Our Hunting Salon™ searches across Japan’s private collector circles on your behalf.
Index terms: hanae mori · hanae mori butterfly · madame butterfly · hanae mori haute couture · hanae mori avenue montaigne · hanae mori vintage · japanese couturier