West met East as Japanese fashion expose came to Warwick district

These ladies were in fact taking part in the Japanique showcase at the Pump Room, which continued on Sunday at Stoneleigh Abbey.

Celebrating Japanese fashion labels which have been inspired by Victorian culture, the event featured 27 local and international designers. whose works were paraded at a fashion show, while there were also musical and dance performances, high teas, Japanese garden features and stalls. The event was supporting the Hodgkins Lymphoma Research Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Event organiser Francesco Calvano said: “The event was certainly an odyssey of organisation for all involved.

“The hot weather, the rising prices of venues, fuel and travel, as well as British traffic jams, made it quite a challenge to stage.

“Yet everyone who was involved and booked to attend made it to the event in style.

“Many of us were spotted hopping on and off the buses and buying chocolate at the shops - which must have been quite a surreal experience for the public of the towns.

“All-in-all, for many it was a delightful distraction in difficult times and a chance to celebrate Jane Austen, the Regency, amazing creativity and craftsmanship by the Lolita community and, of course, the wonderful sights of Warwickshire.”