MISHA JANETTE and PAUL McINNES

Staying young at heart

Tsumori Chisato's collections, filled with whimsical illustrations, bright colors, ruffles, bows and other little-kid tendencies may look more like the pages of a children's book than high-end fashion. But her clear success and influence among sophisticated grownups is worthy of a gold star.

Just before Tsumori's June show to celebrate her brand's 20th anniversary — her first Tokyo show in seven years — she said: "With the way I design, I kind of feel that it's up to me to really make people happy and cheerful when they put on a garment. It's in my job description and I work really hard at my job."