After Christian Dior's first collection (1947), Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper's BAZAAR, exclaimed, "This is the New Look!" Her words were broadcast around the world, and Monsieur Dior became a celebrity overnight. Five years later, in 1953, Daimaru Department Store signed an exclusive contract with Dior, and the following year opened a Dior haute couture salon within the store. This was a memorable event, as it allowed Japanese women to see Parisian fashion, which they had only previously known through the media. Six years later, it was later made public that the wedding dress worn by Empress Michiko at the current Emperor's wedding was by Dior. In 1958, Pierre Cardin visited Japan to research the Japanese market and taught a draping class at Bunka Fashion College, greatly inspiring students such as Kenzo Takada who would go on to become Japan's leading designers. The following year, he signed a contract with Takashimaya to sell haute couture, and subsequently launched a licensing business that included lifestyle goods. Yves Saint-Laurent also visited Japan for the first time in 1963 for a show at the Imperial Hotel. In his novel "The School of Flesh" (Chikuma Bunko), Yukio Mishima describes Saint-Laurent's naivety, nearly crushing under the pressure before the show began. He later signed a contract with Seibu Department Store and opened a salon in the Ikebukuro branch. His client list included fashion icons of the time, such as actress Mariko Kaga and the late lyricist Kazumi Yasui. In the midst of Japan's rapid economic growth, department stores focused on introducing imported fashion brands. Although it was called haute couture, it was a licensing business in which patterns and fabrics from the latest collections were purchased and the garments were sewn in Japan. At the time, fashion magazines like "Soushuu," "Soen," and "Dressmaking" conveyed the atmosphere of Parisian fashion to Japanese women and inspired their dreams. Each magazine included patterns imitating the silhouettes of couture houses at the end of the issue. The latest Parisian fashions were created by imitating them, rather than buying them from the shelves, and the role of fashion magazines was to provide this information. Following the "May Revolution" in Paris in 1968, a democratizing trend spread to the fashion world. Haute couture, which was targeted at a wealthy elite, gave way to the era of ready-to-wear, accessible to young women who wanted to freely enjoy fashion. Yves Saint Laurent, who worked to democratize fashion in parallel with his couture houses, opened a ready-to-wear boutique, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, on the Left Bank of the Seine in 1966.

After moving to Paris, Kenzo Takada opened "Jungle Jap" at Galerie Vivienne in 1970, becoming a darling of the era. Kenzo became one of Paris's leading ready-to-wear designers, rivaling Saint Laurent of Rive Gauche.

That same year, Heibonsha (now Magazine House) launched "AnAn/ELLE Japon" in partnership with an overseas fashion magazine.

(3/12 -- Thus began the first year of fashion magazines. Continued from the launch of "AnAn/ELLE Japon.")