A Woman's Obsession

When I looked at the pictures that French photographer Chantal Stoman did of Japanese women consuming Western luxury brands such Chanel, Gucci or Hermes, I couldn't help but being amazed at the respect, interest and obsession at once that these women professed to the objects they were purchasing and/or carrying already.
The buyers surprised me, and the sale assistants fascinated me even more for they're total submissiveness to the costumer, so different from our dear ones (the Western ones) who seems they are doing us a favor by allowing us to shop and spend our money in the stores.

The French photographer re-visited Tokyo several times after her first visit to take pictures of these women and their obsession, and with the help of an interpreter she encountered dozens of Japanese women in her quest to understand their motivations and ardent love of fashion and she learnt this: "The Japanese woman regards fashion as a unique form of art, which - for her - is superior to all other forms of creation."
The French Institute in NY is now showing these pictures in an exhibition called A Woman's Obsession that will run until December 1st as part of their Fashion Month.